


Heart of the Wood

by happywitch416



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Archery, Canon-Typical Violence, Chickens, Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, Family, Ghosts, Pranks, Scars, Slow Burn, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, Weapons Training, Worldbuilding, apprentice does not have complete amnesia, finding your own place in the world, khamgalai's death, magic archery, not entirely canon compliant, rhena will befriend anything and everything, we are finally at the masquerade folks, what do we do with feelings of failure? we run away
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:36:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 44
Words: 48,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25263211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happywitch416/pseuds/happywitch416
Summary: "Everything, everywhere is no more than a meadow in the Wood. Go through the forest for the realm you seek, as all pass through the Wood in their time."Dying and waking in Vesuvia, Rhena of the Ailurus was a long way from her childhood in the Clouded Mountains. Raised among the forests there, she felt the most at peace when wandering the wood just outside of Vesuvia. All sorts of things lurk in the wood, ghostly former counts turned goat, rock golems, wild creatures, and perhaps true love and a bright future. If they survive to see it, if they don't get lost in the woods.
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana)
Comments: 57
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

She wandered, deep beneath the trees. Her long hair swirled with the same breeze that fluttered the sheer ivory skirt around her legs. With every step her jewelry tinkled softly, gleaming when the sun broke through the leaves. A peacock strutted beside her, pecking at the leaves and sticks occasionally as they moved further into the forest.

The trees soared above them, a green cathedral holding a patch of sunlight. The white spiral of stones glowed between tufts of grass and flowers. The woman met the end of the spiral, where it spun out to meet the edge of the wood. She spoke quietly to the peacock who extended his feathers with a shake before settling down amongst the soft grass. 

She stood on the first white stone, head tilted up towards the sun, her eyes closed. Eyes still closed, a smile bloomed across her face and she began to dance. Her feet followed the path spiraling inward. She twirled, arms wide with movement, sometimes moving quickly, other times moving slowly as if stuck in early spring honey. Her smile never faltered, no matter how she twisted her body or when her hair tangled with the gold beads dangling from her belt. 

She was beautiful, he thought. A trick of the forest, a nymph to lure the unwary into the heart of the wood. But the forest was no longer safe, even for its children. 

As she reached the center, he stepped out of the trees, a dark wolf at his heels. The peacock let out a shrill scream, shooting to its full height, talons and beak's sharp edges gleaming. The woman froze back to him, muscles taut in their pose and bare to the sun before twisting into a crouch to face him, a hand clenched to the earth. "Come no further, stranger." 

He stopped halfway through the spiral, shifting uncomfortably at the magic that had been drawn there. "What are  _ you _ doing here?"

She eyed him while slowly rising to her feet. "I am here to clear my mind." She smiled, lips lifting in one corner as her green eyes glowed. "The forest whispers its secrets to those who listen, and soothes the weary soul." Her eyes narrowed with a threat. "It's a place to be alone, and I thought no one knew of this place." The peacock had stalked over to her, feathers still fanned, forming a shining colorful backdrop behind her. 

"It's not safe to be in the forest."

She snorted. "Of course it's not, it's the forest. You never know when you will see a bear, fall into a hole, or a tree branch fall on your head. Or meet a strange man with a wolf as a companion." She added pointedly, her gaze lighting on the chains at his wrists and neck as they shifted in the breeze. 

His cheeks flushed a little as he gazed into the forest over her shoulder, feathers rippling at the edge with strands of her brown hair blowing through. The wolf stepped from his shadow and padded forward. Recognition and joy lit up the woman's face and she went to her knees as the wolf trotted up to her tail wagging. "Inanna! How are you, beautiful girl?" She laughed accepting Inanna's wet kisses and petting her. She grinned up at him as he edged a little closer, away from the darkness he felt in the forest, towards her like a moth to flame. "You must not be too bad if Inanna approves of you." Her gaze turned quizzical. "I know you."

His eyes widened as she turned her gaze to Inanna. "I do, don't I? So many memories are lost but you. You are hazy like a dream, only Inanna is clear, the sound of chains and the smell of myrrh." She looked up at him. "Muriel, Asra's friend and maker of charms you won't agree to let be made into jewelry." She rose to her feet. "I wouldn't even have to alter them you know. A few turquoise beads and a leather cord, it would be beautiful."

Muriel rolled his eyes at that. "No." He sighed. "Do you have yours?" 

She held up the charm, on its leather cord with turquoise beads, and gave it a slight shake. "See? I am perfectly safe anyways." She looked to the sky shading her eyes. "I need to head back to the shop or Asra will scowl."

"I'll walk with you to the edge of the forest." She gave him a drawl stare. "Asra will scowl less."

She eyed him, making him shift his feet before she turned gazing into the forest. Muriel's eyes followed hers, towards whatever was lurking in the shadows of the wood. She sighed. "If it will make you both feel better, then I would enjoy the company. Although," she added dryly. "The forest knows whatever is out there doesn't belong and I would be safe enough."

"The forest can't guard against everything, Rhena."

Muriel walked with her to the forest's edge, the only sounds between them were the shifting of his chains, the twinkle of her gold, and the snippets of songs she hummed. 

The sun was truly setting, the sky more purple than gold. Rhena twirled as she left the shadows and stood in one of the last rays of sun. The thought of the nymph crossed his mind again, she was as at home in the dark of trees as she was in the shine of the sun. 

"You could join us for supper, Muriel." She offered, hand outstretched towards him with an inviting smile. 

He shook his head and stepped back into the tree line, felt a sting when her smile fell. "Well, goodbye then." The peacock gave a shake of his feathers before letting them trail behind him. "I know, Sweets."

She was almost out of sight when she turned again, searching the tree line before finally heading into the city outskirts. "Goodbye, Rhena."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hear Once Upon a Dream playing in the background as you read, that's because I love the song for Muriel and Rhena.


	2. Chapter 2

Rhena shook her head her thoughts on the night before. The Countess. Someone, some Julian immediately breaking in and also wanting a reading. That weird dream that didn't feel like a dream of Asra. "Crossroads, Sweets." She said to the bright purple peacock beside her. "There's a thousand of those, Asra could have been a bit more specific and that's before we talk about mental and emotional ones." She grumbled. She turned the key locking the door to make herself feel better before running her fingers beside the lock in the jagged lines of locking. "See if anyone gets in now." 

Rhena turned around and right smack into someone. Her eyes trailed up a patchwork of scars and buckles across a bare chest. She finally dragged her gaze up to his face and saw stormy green eyes staring down at her through a mess of black hair. He was the tallest person she had ever seen with the shoulders to match she guessed, even with the bulky cloak.  _ And he's gorgeous.  _

"Can I help you?" She asked, a little breathy and cheeks flushing until she realized he was standing between her and the Palace and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "If you've been waiting outside my door awhile, the Countess has been and gone and the gangly ginger-haired one needs his forehead tended to." 

The man blinked, looking almost as confused as she felt. She shivered when his eyes met hers, a sense of knowing washing over her. She stared up at him since he still didn't speak. "Well, I need to go, so if you please, I'd like to get off my doorstep." He took a step to the side, the faint sound of chains coming from under the cloak.  _ Chains? Why is that familiar? _

As she stepped past him he spoke, his voice deep and rumbling like when a storm announced its arrival long before it rained. "He will return, uninvited. He will offer you an escape when you need it most." The man the night before flashed in her mind. "Turn it away. Or you will fall into his hand. Just like the rest of us."

She turned to stare at him and then gave herself a shake. "Look, I don't know." The wind blew just right, the scent of myrrh with it. Her mind ground to a halt. "I know you." He stiffened as she studied him. "I do, don't I?" She frowned a long moment as she thought. "...Muriel."

There was panic in his eyes and she held her hands out. "It's alright." She grinned. "I won't throw any bottles at you." He took another step away from her. "Could you explain what you mean? I had some strange man break in offering that exact thing last night."

He shook his head and walked away. "Hey!" 

He disappeared around the corner and she froze as the world grew fuzzy. Her fingers went to her temples trying to soothe out the pain that was now trying to beat its way out of her head. "Ow. Ow. Fuck." She half stumbled back to the shop door, drug her fingers across the keyhole, and fell through it. She went to her knees, curling into a ball.  _ The Countess will just have to deal with me being late.  _

After he stepped out of sight he had waited to make sure she went on, Asra wasn't there and someone had broken in. She wasn't as safe as Asra claimed. He heard her swearing and the door open but he never heard it shut. With a sigh he went back the way he came, worrying when the door was standing open. She didn't notice him, her head in her hands, her whole body shuddering. But the peacock did. It fluffed out its tail blocking her from view, hissing at him. He held up one hand trying to get across he meant no harm without speaking and gently pulled the door closed. 

Rhena returned to the shop before meeting Portia at the square. Sweet Pea had stayed at the Palace gardens, happy to bask in the sun. She went to trace her fingers down the door and saw a small leather pouch. When she picked it up, the magic hit her like a wall. Perplexed she undid the laces and peered in. Myrrh she was all too familiar with, her fingers tracing the medallion at her neck. "Hm." The rest of the bag held other powerful protectors, the myrrh both adding its own layer and amplifying. She turned slowly examining the road and houses. But there was nothing amiss. Her fingers left the medallion to brush against the wooden charm next to it. She shuddered at the zing of magic from it, an echo of the bag in her hand. She tucked it into her bag and let herself in thinking hard. Only to walk into Doctor Devorak standing in the middle of her shop. Again. 

It was packed as Portia made her announcement that Rhena only half-listened to. The doctor had given her many things to think about, first and foremost changing the locks. The wind shifted and she smelled myrrh. She snapped immediately up from her place leaned against the pillar, turning in a circle only to find the man again.  _ I know his name. _

He looked every part a bringer of ill tidings and despair but that didn't stop her from marching up to him only for him to head down a side street at the end of the announcement. But he wasn't hard for her to catch up to. "Any chance you'll answer my questions now? Since I just got the doctor out of my shop again?" 

He turned slowly like she was some kind of dreadful creature and she found she was too irritated to be offended. He spoke, his voice causing a shiver to run down her spine. "Blindly to the slaughter, just like the rest of you." 

She scowled up at him. "Speak plainly, please. I don't read the cards because I don’t enjoy playing read the cryptic message."

"It doesn't matter what I say. My words won't last. They never do." He turned and walked away from her as she stared at him in shock, of course, she remembered. 

"Muriel!" He froze on the stairs and she caught up to him. She took a deep breath. "I know it's not your fault I got a headache after seeing you last time, but that doesn't change that I really want to dunk you in one of the fountains for it. So can you maybe explain to me what the fuck is going on?"

He half-turned and shook his head before walking away again. She growled in frustration, a group of people coming between them. She watched him move, as he tried to hide behind different things. "You'll have to try harder, I am the oldest of 12 and you are terrible at this." She grumbled under her breath.

He finally stopped a stray dog between them. "Go away."

She huffed, crossing her arms. "I know you know Asra."

"Better than anyone." The sincerity of his answer didn't hide the irritation in his voice.

"Did he send you to check on me?" She asked, trying to keep the irritation from her own voice. 

"...yes." he flushed a little. "He's my only friend." 

"I can relate." She studied him, how he wouldn't look directly at her, feet shifting and ready to bolt.

"No, you can't." She raised her brows at that, how he managed to sound so grumpy and so pleased at once.

"Why-."  There was a shouted warning and Rhena turned as an apple cart barreled at her. She threw up a shield, keeping herself from getting bowled over and the vendor thanking her repeatedly when the apples hovered in the air. She turned back to find him gone. She blinked a few times and turned to the apple vendor. "Did you see where the man I was with went?"

"What man?" She stared at him dumbfounded for a moment. She stepped back against the wall and surveyed the market. Nothing. A twinge of pain went through her head and she wrapped her hand around her medallion, the warmth of her hand heating the resin inside. She took a deep breath letting the smell wash over her.  There was nothing to do for it, he was gone. Whoever he was. When she closed her eyes trying to summon his image to mind all she found was stormy green eyes, the smell of myrrh, and the sound of chains. And a desire to sit a carriage on Asra until he explained what was going on.


	3. Chapter 3

Rhena fingered the medallion at her neck as she walked through the city. Nadia, which felt odd to think as she was the Countess but regardless, had given her a lot of work. "I wonder if Asra is home already."

Sweet Pea cocked his head to stare at her. "Asra doesn't know when he's going to be home most of the time." Rhena snorted. 

She came to the door of the shop, only for it to swing open at her touch.

Blood coated the door and the step. She dropped her bag in the potted plant and crouched below the window as she made her way to the back of the shop. A crash was followed by broken glass raining down on her before heavy paws slammed into her shoulders pinning her to the ground.

She carefully opened her eyes peering up at the growling form. "Inanna?"

The wolf whined, licking at her face before letting her sit up. "Where's Muriel?" She huffed. "Is he hurt?" She whined again. "Where?" Inanna trotted into the road. "Okay. Give me a moment to grab our kit and I will be right behind you."

She hurried back to the front door and ducked behind the counter to grab the medicine kit. She was meticulous about keeping it stocked so she tossed it into her bag without a second look, anything else she could need was in her bag and beyond that, she could improvise. She ran her hands over the door frame, relocking it before turning back to Inanna. She settled her bag across her body grimly. "Let's go." Inanna led the way, Rhena at a steady run behind her with Sweet Pea hopping and flying beside her, hoping they made it in time.

Inanna led her towards the center of the wood. It felt darker, raging and dangerous. Rhena tried to convince herself it was the rasping of her breath in her lungs to keep herself from panicking and sprinting back the way she came. They stumbled out the edge of the clearing, strewn with signs of a fight. Broken branches, and blood, so much blood coating the white stones. In the center huddled a familiar form."Muriel?!"

He sat up as she approached, sliding as she went to her knees, hands already flying across his skin. He pulled away. "I'm fine."

She glared up at him, the oozing gash on his forehead to be specific. "Like hell you are."

Muriel blinked at that but still ducked away from her hands. "It's not safe here."

"It won't be safe if you bleed out either." She hissed. He moved to the side a fraction and any other words died in her throat. A destroyed corpse, its ribcage ripped open, blood puddling against its once majestic wings, an antler was broken off at a jagged edge. Its body mangled and ruined. She reached out gently, smoothing some of the fur and feathers. "What happened? Muriel?" Her wide eyes met his and her voice shook. "Muriel, what did this?"

He shook his head, making it swim. "The Heart of the Forest. And someone butchered him." She sniffed dragging an arm across her face, blood smearing across her cheeks and nose. "We have to get you home. We'll" she stumbled on her words as she stood. "In the morning we will come back and bury him." She pulled a stone from the outer pocket of her bag, cupping it in her palms as she whispered softly to it. She tossed it gently beside the body and a shimmering dome covered it. "He'll be undisturbed for now."

Rhena stared down at him, a smile glimmering a moment and passing quickly. "This must be how it feels to be tall." Muriel gave a disgusted grunt and she leaned over to wrap his arm around her shoulders, ignoring the initial jerk away from her and tried to not worry about how heavily he leaned on her. The grass beneath her feet was warm and slick. "Inanna?" She called. "Show me the way, please?" Inanna woofed trotting ahead to lead the way as Sweet Pea brought up the rear, head swiveling to peer into the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Muriel came to a staggering halt. "He's back." Inanna snarled deep in her chest. 

"Who?" her words falling short as black smoke gathered before them before turning into a figure she was sure had been in her nightmares. A white goat, with twisting black horns and red eyes glowing with hate. She barely registered the missing arm, far more concerned with the fact she had to look up at the thing, as it violated every rule by standing like a man.

Muriel moved to shove Rhena behind him, she ducked low dodging it and flinging a barrier up as the thing lunged. It bounced off with a curse. Rhena started when Muriel's hand squeezed hers. "Can you hold it? Not much farther." Rhena nodded.

She held the barrier until they got past what she recognized as Muriel's charms at the top of a path before dropping it like a weight as she heaved her shoulder into Muriel's side to take more of his weight. She ignored the wild scream of rage behind them. Inanna headbutted the door open ahead of them, Sweet Pea flapping upwards to stand on the roof, feathers out and beak ready. Inanna settled at the door to guard them. Muriel pushed her away and leaned against the wall, breathing heavy a hand to his side. The protest ready to leave his lips fell silent at the scowl Rhena sent his way. He slid down the wall with a thump.

She tossed open the bag with practiced fingers and spread the healer's kit across his table, brows furrowed. She appraised the damage with a calculating look and grabbed a few things before slowly walking towards him. "Let me see it." Her nose twitched. "Please."

He sighed and let her close enough to inspect the gash on his forehead. She made a soft tsking noise, popped open the vial in her hand and the water she poured from it hovered in an invisible bowl. She yanked a cloth in half and reached out. He jerked away. "I can do it."

She gave him an arched look before turning her nose up. "Yes, you can. Now sit still." He grumbled but relented. She gently wiped away most of the blood, muttering sympathetically.

She sighed a moment. "I am going to have to stitch this. I don't have Asra's talent with healing magic but I am good with the next best thing." She tried to give him a brave smile. She reached out slowly and when he didn't recoil she smoothed his hair back gently, worry creasing her brow. "It's going to hurt, Muriel, I am sorry."

"I'll be fine. Just..get it done."

She nodded and drug the table over to them, teeth worrying her lip as she arranged the supplies, gathered fresh water from the bucket he had, and sprinkled in some powder and set the water to spinning. "Calendula and yarrow. Ready?" She stared at him until he nodded.

The needle pinched and Muriel jerked. "Sorry. Sorry." Rhena half whined. At the halfway point, she was rather pleased with how tiny and neat the stitches were, but Muriel leaned to one side. "Here." She grabbed his shoulders and settled him upright before tapping the medallion. "Keep your eyes on this."

"What does that have to do with?" He mumbled, cheeks flushing. 

Rhena grinned. "When the world dances its best to look at something still." 

She finished the last stitch, tying it off neatly. "And that's done. Any others?"

He shook his head and her eyes narrowed. "As the acting healer, I am going to check the larger splotches of blood anyway." He sighed and stared into the corner as her hands ran across his skin. He was covered in scars, some healed clean and white and others roped and red like his body raged at its ill-treatment. Her hands were cool against his warm skin, even with the cloth between them. "I am going to move the collar and chain a little, just enough to rub some ointment on this cut."

He nodded, grateful she adjusted it gently to avoid the bruises. He scowled past her. "Why do you remember me?'

"You are too cute to forget." He saw her smile from the corner of his now wide eyes, fingers never ceasing as his skin turned hot. "You were fuzzy like a dream half recalled. When I saw it was Inanna it's like everything shifted into clarity." Her hands moved gently to his other shoulder, tugging off his cloak and dropping it to the floor. 

Rhena worked in silence, wiping blood from his skin, gently patting ointment on to bruises and scrapes. There was a larger wound in his side. It was far past her skills with a needle. " I think I can get it fixed up with some magic." She smiled at him apologetically. "It's not my strong suit but I will try, if anything I can stop the bleeding." He nodded after a moment. Rhena rubbed her hands together calling power to her fingertips. "Sweets? I could use some help."

Sweet Pea screamed from the roof before floating to the ground and strutting in. He ruffled his feathers to their full height, filling the hut before pressing his head to Rhena's shoulder. _Slowly, Rhena, slowly_.

She was almost done when she wobbled on her knees and half caught herself against him. "I'm trying to make this as smooth as I can." She grumbled with irritation. "You have enough scars and I won't add to them."

He started at her words. "Why do you care?"

She gave him a small smile. "Judging by your big cloak, you don't like them."

He flushed to his shoulders before shaking his head. "They scare people."

She tsked. "There are real terrors in the world to fear. Famine. Floods. Particularly large spiders." She grinned when he snorted. She was struggling to heal it smoothly. Rhena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching into the forest around her. It gave to her willingly but it felt so tired. 

Sweet Pea crooned softly. _Careful, Rhena_. She scowled but relaxed back into the magic's bright, warm flow like a sunny afternoon. 

The flesh smoothed under her fingers. When she pulled away and leaned back on her heels Muriel ran his hand across his side, eyes widening as he inspected the work. "I thought you said you were a bad healer." He said incredulously.

Rhena chuckled lightly as the world began to spin. Muriel grabbed her before she fell backward, and Rhena was almost as shocked as he when she found herself jerked flush against his chest. His heartbeat was loud and frantic and she was grateful he couldn't hear hers. She hoped. "Sorry." She half mumbled into his chest, taking deep breaths as he cautiously held his arms around her barely touching. Beneath the blood, he smelled of myrrh and woodsmoke, a hint of forest. 

Rhena sat up and his arms fell from around her fast enough she was mildly offended. "Thank you." He nodded. "It would have been embarrassing to knock myself out after all that." He snorted and she smiled at him, widening when he looked away. "Your forehead healed." She rose to her feet, unsteady but they stayed under her. She looked down at her blood-covered clothes and sighed.

Rhena held her hands out to Muriel and helped him to his feet. He wobbled precariously and she helped him to the stool before pushing the table back to him. 

"Muriel." He was glowering at the table and she chuckled softly. "It wasn't that bad." 

"No." He grumbled quietly.

Rhena brushed her fingers against his arm and stepped away, grabbing his cloak and a vial from her bag. "Send Inanna with the rest of your clothes, I can get the blood out if I do it now." 

Muriel sat still as a stone until Inanna rested her head on his knee with a gentle woof. He stripped out of his blood-stained clothes and she gently took them while he wrapped himself in a blanket.

Rhena stood in the stream, Sweet Pea watching over her. She had tossed her clothes and his cloak into the water and was letting it remove as much as it could. She adjusted her breast band before leaning over to scowl at the ivory fabric. "Of all the days for me to wear a light color, Sweets."

 _The blood wasn't a bad combination of color with your gold jewelry_ . She gave the peacock a dour look. _What do you think that was?_

She settled on a rock and set to scrubbing the more stubborn spots with a drop from the vial. It fizzed with gloriously purple bubbles that tickled against her skin. "I don't know. A ghost, but they don't have claws. Or look like goat men straight from a nightmarish children’s fair."

_The cards may help you._

She sighed. "I don’t feel like getting my ass beat by a deck of cards right now.”

_Practice makes perfect, and without it, you will never be a stronger magician._

Rhena snorted, taking the clothes from Inanna. "I think I qualify anyway. What else are you when you have magic?"


	5. Chapter 5

When Rhena returned to the hut with the mostly dry clothes and had stepped back out long enough to let him change, she heard him half mutter from where he sat on the edge of the bed. "...thank you for patching me up." 

She gave him a grin as she studied him closely until he squirmed. She let go of her urge to terrorize him and sighed at the mess she made of his table. "If I just chuck this back in the bag I'll never find them again." Something akin to a snort came from Muriel's direction. She elected to ignore it.

She hummed softly to fill the quiet. In the quiet, she would have had space to think. Rhena did not want to think about what would have happened if she had not gone back to the shop, if she had stayed in the palace as she had been doing. Would have Inanna been able to find her? What if they had taken too long? The image of Muriel on the ground with his chest torn open made her slice the scissors against her finger just right. She swore quietly as she inspected the damage. A drop of blood welled to the surface but it would heal clean. 

Muriel's gaze kept moving back to Rhena. She was settled at his table like she had always been there like the hut had been waiting for her brightness to lighten it up. He poked the fire a few times, it was growing too warm even with the soft wind through the door and windows. The fire glinted off the earrings dangling from her lobes, the thin gold twisted like vines around the red stone that dropped from them almost brushing against one of her necklaces. Some were simple gold chains, spun thread-thin, others held red stones that glinted and gleamed in the light. The only leather cord or blue was the necklace she made with his charm and it dangled next to a round medallion next to her heart. The medallion was gold with a hinged, thicker center surrounded by geometric patterns lined in black enamel. Red and gold glinted from her arms and fingers. He was grateful the table blocked some things from view. No matter how hard he tried, his gaze would still remind him that she was sitting at his table half-naked while her shirt dried the rest of the way on the back of the chair. She stretched with a yawn, shoulders rolling before she reached her arms upward and arched her back, some of her hair escaping to graze the skin there. Muriel felt his cheeks grow hot. 

_ She's beautiful. _

Sweet Pea ruffled his feathers opposite of him and Inanna stared up at him expectantly. His scowl returned immediately. "Sun's rising." Muriel said gruffly. 

Rhena made a disgusted grump. "No point in going to sleep then." He went to open his mouth and she shook a finger at him, setting off another twinkle of metal. "You are going to rest if you know what's good for you." Inanna and Sweet Pea made noises akin to laughter and he scowled at all three of them. Rhena pulled the shirt over her head, the sleeveless material gliding over her skin. "The last time Asra got a cold and wouldn't rest I put sleeping herbs in his room lamp." She gave Muriel a pointed look. "They work well in a fire too."

"You're...bossy."

Rhena laughed. "Oldest child. Of course, I am bossy."

Muriel tried not to wince as he leaned against the wall but Rhena's arched brow told him he had not succeeded. He adjusted more comfortably, legs stretched out. "Do you have a lot of siblings?"

She nodded, her gaze going far away as she stared out the window. "There's 12 of us." She was quiet for a long moment. "I miss them. I haven't seen them since before." She waved her hand vaguely and gave herself a shake before settling into a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "What about you, Muriel?"

His eyes widened. "You want to know about me?"

She gave him a bewildered smile. "You don't have to but I want to know more about you." Her cheeks flushed before traveling down her neck even as she rubbed her fingers against the back of it.

He sat in silence, glancing at the door, and wondered if he could escape. They were the longest moments of Rhena's life. She wiggled in her seat ready to throw an excuse out for needing to leave the hut. "What do you want to know?"

She brightened instantly. "How come it was so hard to remember you before? You are far from something I would wish to forget." She grinned when his gaze went anywhere but near her. "I remember, well, it was vague, blurry like a dream you forget not long after waking. But I could always remember the sound of chains. And Inanna. The smell of myrrh."

"It's a spell." 

When he didn't elaborate, she didn't press the issue. He relaxed a bit but eyed her suspiciously. She gave him a cheeky grin and he flushed. Her fingers had settled to mindlessly rub against the medallion. "Do you have a favorite animal? Other Inanna, who has no equal." She cooed, Inanna's tail thumping the ground.

"A favorite animal?"

She nodded. "Asra likes snakes, while I love peacocks, especially the mouthy one over there." Her tongue drug across her teeth, the first animal she thought of popping out between them. "Goats?"

"Not goats." She nodded. The goat creature man thing, that was reasonable.

"Well, which ones make you feel happy then when you see them?"

"...bears." Inanna whined. "Inanna's alright too."

Rhena's nose twitched trying to not laugh, at both Inanna’s indignant look and the fact he acted like a grumpy bear. "What about a favorite flower?

Muriel smiled softly at that, pulling open a pouch on his belt. Rhena could see the dried pale blue flower. He twirled it gently in his fingers.

"Forget me not."

"They make me feel." He shrugged giving up. "I just like them." He gently returned it to the pouch. Rhena stared at him, giving herself a shake when his shoulders tensed and she looked out the window.

She knew the answer to her next question, but she asked anyway. "Are you alone out here?"

"Yes."

"That sounds lonely." She said softly.

"No." He answered quickly, the next words a grumble. "Besides. You're here right now. So..I'm not alone." Rhena's fingers stilled. But before she could speak, he spoke again sounding annoyed. "Don't you have something more important to do?"

"Fuck." Rhena continued with even more colorful curses that caused his brows to arch in surprise as she laid her head on the table. She let her forehead rest against the wood before she spoke again. "I am looking for Doctor Devorak. Does he come to the forest often by chance? Or should I just wait for him to break into the shop again?"

"Why are you looking for him?" If anything, he had managed to look even more annoyed at the mention of the doctor when she glanced his way.

"The Countess asked me to question him. He confessed to killing the Count, and we need to know if it's true."

“He confessed to something he didn't do.” Muriel snorted, looking like he was going to laugh. "He's an idiot."

Rhena stared at him open-mouthed. "What?"

He shrugged. "He was locked in the dungeons all night. He couldn't have killed Lucio."

"Then who did?" She spluttered.

"I don’t know." His gaze turned venomous as he looked out the door. "Go into the forest and ask him."

"What?!” 

He sighed, tired of the world, and the problems it dragged to his door. "That thing in the woods. The creature that attacked us. That's all that's left of Lucio."

Rhena stared at him in horror, her mind reeling. That twisted goat thing, it was missing an arm. And looked like the one in the painting in Nadia's dining room. The darkness in the forest, and the palace. Rhena took a deep shuddering breath, eyes fixed on the table. "How, how does something like that even happen? It can’t, ghosts can’t do that.”

"I don't know. I don't know what happened to him." His scowl returned. "If he's dead, he's doing a bad job."

A choked laugh left Rhena and settled her head in her hands. "I have to tell Nadia. His ghost or whatever the fuck is strong enough to attack people. To kill." She moved her head to look at him. "We have to tell Nadia. About Julian too."

Muriel snorted, trying to sink into the earth instead. "Then you'd better get going."

Rhena felt a sting in her chest. "I can’t just go back and say all that, you are a witness."

"I didn't ask to be."

Before she could speak Asra tripped over Inanna in the doorway. "Muriel, I need your help, the shop, Rhena." Panic ran wild across his features, frantic and panting. Rhena gave him a small wave. Asra stared at her dumbfounded. "All that blood in the shop?" She pointed at Muriel who continued to try to sink into the ground. "But how did you get here?"

"Inanna." He nodded slowly as Rhena's brows furrowed. "Is this where you are when you go on your trips?"

Muriel's cough sounded suspicious even as Asra glared his way. "No." His shoulders slumped. "I have some explaining to do, don't I?"


	6. Chapter 6

Asra told her how he knew Muriel but she knew he left parts out, as always. Not that it particularly mattered in this case, it wasn't just his story. "It's not a curse." Muriel corrected him. "And she remembered me anyway."

"Mmhmm." Asra grinned at the scowl Muriel gave him.

Rhena rolled her eyes. "I remembered Inanna, mostly. And myrrh, the sound of chains, and it usually took me a bit for it to all click into place." 

Asra nodded thoughtfully. "You use the same myrrh." Muriel's eyes widened and Asra shrugged. "I never thought it would transfer that way."

"And I always wear some." Rhena said softly, hand wrapping around the medallion as her thumb rubbed over its center. "It helps with the headaches." She gave them an embarrassed smile. "Among other things." Asra reached across the table and squeezed her hand. 

They sat in awkward silence as Asra stared at each of them in turn until they squirmed. "But I still don't know why you were hurt."

"Lucio." Muriel and Rhena said at the same time. She let him continue. "He killed the Heart of the Forest."

"At the spiral stones." Rhena's face darkened as she muttered. "Maybe I should rip his heart out and feed it to the trees." Muriel's glance was met with Asra's unsurprised shrug. She sighed. "It would probably give them all wood rot." 

"I couldn't save it." Muriel added forlornly.

Rhena looked up at him then. "He'll return in time. And the forest knows you tried."

"I could have stopped it."

Rhena slapped her hand on the table, eyes burning. "And died? Because that's what was going to happen.” She shoved herself to her feet to pace. "It's not your fault. It's Lucio's."

"Most things are." Some of the rage left her and Rhena reached out to gently lay her hand on his with a light squeeze. 

Asra looked entirely too fond of them. "You two get along well, don't you?"

"Wh-what? No, we don't." The look on Muriel's face made Rhena laugh as he snatched his hand back. "Everyone get out of my hut."

She grinned brightly at him and leaned forward to peek under his hair. "Only if you come with me."

"No."

"We need to tell Nadia."

"And if Lucio'a still put there in some form, who knows what damage he could cause." Asra added.

"I'm not going anywhere." Muriel replied grumpily.

"Rhena needs you, Muriel. I'll stay here with Inanna and watch the forest." Asra's gaze narrowed. "And Lucio."

Rhena wasn't sure he was going to respond, waiting with bated breath. But finally, he spoke, soft enough she could barely hear him. "They never listen to me. And even if they do, they'll just forget." Asra gave him a pointed stare before reaching into Rhena's bag and pulling out a bag of myrrh. 

Rhena sighed and sat on the edge of the bed near him. He didn't pull away, her hand went to the back of her neck gently rubbing the scars there. "If I had another idea, Muriel, I wouldn't ask. I have spent weeks trying to get anywhere with this." She took a deep breath. "You don't have to stay after we tell her, you can come back here and barricade the door with rocks and I won't bother you."

He was quiet for a long time. "If I give her one of the pouches...what if she remembers me?"

"That's kind of the goal here." Asra said dryly, ignoring Rhena's glare.

"Not..not just what I tell her. But everything I have done." The shame on his face cut Rhena to the bone even as the words set her mind to work. A man his size, she would have remembered people mentioning something if it was truly terrible, she hoped anyway.

"Oh." Asra said softly. "It'll be okay, Muriel. She won't judge you." Rhena nodded, her brows still furrowed in confusion.

Muriel stared at them both for a second before scoffing but got to his feet. "I doubt that."

"If she gives you any trouble, I will dump a carafe of wine on her head too." Rhena said tartly as she stood and took her hair out of its low bun giving it a good shake. It fell almost to her waist. "I have something I need to attend to first." She breezed out the door. Asra stared at Muriel with a smile on his face until Muriel squirmed.

Rhena grumbled as she walked through the pecking and softly clucking chickens towards the little stream. She stopped with her bare feet in the cold water and stared into the trees. She felt a shadow, away from there but still in the forest. It made her snarl. "You’d better run, goat man."

Rhena whistled long and high, pulling from deep within the earth. A boulder in the stream stretched up, mud sticking to it like glue. They turned, eyes glowing green as Rhena's hands clenched into fists and pulled, her own eyes blazed like they were backlit by suns. Smaller stones rolled to them, lengthened their arms and legs, moss-covered parts of their dripping form.

"Hello, old friend." She reached out and the golem gently stuck their arm out for her to pat. "I hate to wake you, Rorak."

_ The heart is gone. _ She nodded, eyes stinging.  _ The heart will return. _

She gave them a watery smile. "But until then, we need to watch the forest. And I have to leave… And I don't when I will be back." She looked back at the hut, Muriel was standing in the doorway with Asra, both quietly talking. "The man that lives here-."

_ He is good to the forest.  _ Until she had met Rorak, Rhena had thought any mind speak would sound the same, like Sweet Pea, but Rorak sounded pleasantly rumbly. 

"Yes." Her smile warmed but fell quickly, her fingers rubbing at the scars. "He was hurt badly. When he comes home, he will need help and he won’t like it. The other one is staying for the time. But Asra doesn't know the forest like we do." She turned her face upward staring into the golem's bright eyes, hating herself for asking. "Beware the darkness, my friend."

_ We will watch every brook and leaf until you return. _

"Thank you, please be safe." She wrapped her arms around what she could reach and squeezed tight, a noise like a rockfall leaving the golem.

_ Be safe, forest child.  _ They turned and trundled into the trees.

She returned to the hut and ignored their stares. "Was that a rock golem?" Asra asked incredulously.

She tossed her bag over her shoulder. "Nope. That was Rorak." Muriel snorted and she smiled a little. " I know them well. They are a good friend and right now they are going to keep watch with you, Asra.” She headed to the door. “I am going back to the spiral. I have a promise that needs keeping."

"Don't go into the forest unless I am with you. It's dangerous." Muriel moved slightly between her and the door when she looked like she was going to go regardless. 

She scowled up at him, chin lifted in defiance. "You need to rest. I'll come back when I'm done and then we can head to the palace." Muriel just stood, silently and not quite looking at her. “Fine!” She finally growled out. She stomped out of the hut and avoided him like he was going to bite. "I need to talk to Sweets anyway." She grumbled under breath. 

Muriel's lips twitched before he grabbed the chicken's bag. "She wasn't like this before."

"No." Asra laughed.

He barely heard what Muriel said as he left the hut but it warmed his heart all the same. "I like her better this way."

Rhena flung herself on to a patch of clover. "They are featherheads." Sweet Pea trilled settling into her lap. Rhena leaned her head against him. "Sweets, I need him to come along. But what if he gets hurt again?"

_ It's his choice. _

"I didn't really give him one."

_ Inanna thinks he will be fine with you. _

She smiled a little at that. "I don't want to go back to the palace, not with more dead ends and more questions."

_ Maybe answers will find you there. _

"You sound like Baba." She snorted.

_ He's a wise man. Has to be with all his daughters.  _ They sat in silence listening to Muriel feed the chickens, his soft murmurs responding to their clucks.  _ I will stay. _

Rhena's eyes widened, her body tensed. "But I can't go without you."

_ It's time. You have been doing well. _

"But, but what if it happens again? What if I forget?"

"Rhena." Asra's shadow fell over her. 

She hugged Sweet Pea tight, her hair hiding them both.  _ You'll be fine, Rhena. You need to leave my shadow. _

Rhena watched Sweet Pea strut back to the hut. "He's staying." She said in a small voice.

Asra grabbed her hand and pulled her up. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist. "He wouldn't if he thought you weren't going to be fine without him." 

She snorted, her worry evaporating. "Even one mention of a baby bird leaving the nest and I will turn the ground to mud every time you step outside."

Asra chuckled and squeezed his arm around her as he settled his head against hers. "Look after Muriel for me." She nodded. "He has a soft heart. And the world isn't kind to the soft-hearted."

"I'll keep him safe." She promised with confidence she didn’t feel. "You have my word, Asra."


	7. Chapter 7

They reached the spiral by mid-morning. Rhena was sure the walk had been shorter the night before, even with them going a little slower. The excuse of her legs being shorter had been enough to slow Muriel down, and she was glad to see he wasn't struggling even with his barely healed injuries. She felt a certain smugness in that, maybe she wasn't as bad with healing as she thought even if she had no idea how she did it.

The spiral was empty. Some broken branches remained but any traces of the night before were gone. Rhena and Muriel looked at each other in bewilderment and when she stepped forward he half reached for her to pull her back. She walked the spiral quietly, skirts swishing around her calves and looked about as she went. There was some silver blood still on the white stones. She laughed when she reached the center and Muriel joined her as she picked something up off the center stone.

She gave him an arched look as he cut through the spiral. "That's not how these work, you know." He rolled his eyes but froze when she held out her hand towards him. In her palm rested the stone she left the night before, now shining in the sun with a thousand shades of green, and a single white feather. "I think." She said slowly. "This is for you."

He gently took the feather from her. The feather was soft, more like fur than a feather. He gave her a confused look and she smiled. "The forest knows you tried." He turned it over in his hands, admiring it before he placed it in the same pouch as the forget me not on his belt.

Rhena turned slowly, head tilted up to take in everything. "I feel like I won't be back for a while." 

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I just do."


	8. Chapter 8

The Temple District was just waking up when they walked into Vesuvia, it wasn’t one she visited often. The few people that were out headed about their daily lives totally oblivious to the evil goat-man lurking in the palace and forest. Muriel looked unimpressed with the whole thing. Rhena reached out and quickly, gently touched his arm. "Are you alright?"

He huffed, pulling his cloak tighter, his eyes falling shut a moment while he took a deep breath. "It's crowded here."

Rhena chewed her lip a moment. This was empty compared to where they needed to go. A grin flashed across her face and she stuck her hand back out to him. "We could hold hands, we won't get lost then."

"That's not what I am worried about." He spluttered, bright red. He stared at Rhena's outstretched hand. "Put that away." He turned and headed for an empty alley before turning back. "Don't get lost either." Rhena's grin didn’t falter and she skipped up beside him with a jingle of her jewelry.

They took the quieter alleys that winded through the city and the longer they were away from the main streets the more relaxed Muriel became. Rhena hummed softly, an occasional skip in her step. She finally had something, maybe, for the wild goose chase Nadia sent her on. At least they wouldn’t be hounding an innocent man.

"Hey, you!" Someone yelled from behind them. Muriel didn’t respond, ignored them, and walked on. Rhena did no such thing. She turned and saw no one and when she turned back to speak, a woman with a wicked grin emerged from the shadows, a sharp dagger gleamed in her hands.

"You were being rude, empty your pockets and we will forget about it." Another came up behind them from seemingly nowhere to Rhena’s chagrin. 

Muriel sighed and went to turn out his pockets. Rhena scowled at him, cleared her throat, and stepped in front of him, heart pounding her chest and wondering what she was doing. "No."

"What are you doing?" Muriel asked incredulously. 

"Protecting us." She snapped her fingers, rocks rising from the broken cobblestones as her eyes narrowed, the slight glow in her eyes. _Just some thugs, easy right? Deep breaths, Rhena._

"Why?" 

The woman eyed the revolving stones as Rhena gave her a razor-sharp grin. "I don't like bullies."

The man pulled a dagger, but before anything more could be said a voice ordered from behind them. "Move. You are in my way." Rhena's head snapped around to see a leather and fur-clad woman gripping a spear. Her skin was pale like she hailed from a place of little sun and dark lines cut down her face as she glared haughtily down at them.

"We'll get to mugging you next." She sighed, long with years of suffering fools. She set down her pack and fished a whetstone from a pocket. And began to sharpen the spear point while staring them down. The two thugs looked at each other and shrugged. "Look, old lady."

"I was just sharpening my spear so that it easily pierces through your flesh." The rocks wavered in the air as Rhena considered which way to run if the woman decided to attack. She had enough murder to deal with without witnessing another. "It's such a hassle to fight with a blunt weapon."

They rushed her and before it began she had them knocked to the ground with a single sweep of her spear. The rocks fell with a clatter. The man got to his feet lunging again. She effortlessly disarmed him, threw him to the ground, and stared down her nose at them. "You are not worth the time to kill. Get out of my sight."

They picked themselves up off the ground, frantically apologized before sprinting off down the street. She spat on the ground before turning to Rhena and Muriel.

"Pathetic. Why didn't you fight?" Rhena bristled ready to challenge her no matter how much she obviously could have tossed her on a roof without a blink. She realized the woman was talking to Muriel as the woman stared him down. "Speak when you are spoken to, boy." 

Muriel finally answered. "Why would I fight back? It's easier to give in." Rhena’s eyes narrowed at that, he sounded so convinced.

The woman scoffed and turned to Rhena. "At least one of you has guts. You'd do well to teach your friend to fight back. The world doesn't wait for cowards."

"I have enough fight for us both." Rhena said coolly, chin lifting as she set her shoulders. The woman snorted as she turned and stalked out of the alley.

Rhena watched until the woman disappeared before turning to Muriel. He was shaking, fidgeting with his cloak. "Are you alright?" She asked gently.

He jumped at her voice before swallowing loudly. "I." He scowled. "I'm fine." 

_Bullshit._ Rhena gave him a soft smile instead. "Let's go somewhere quiet, I need it after all that."

Muriel stared at her blinking. "What."

She shrugged, trying very hard to hide that she had been scared out of her wits. "I know a quiet place where we could take a break." She gave him an arched look. "A moment to find some calm would be good for both of us, if I show up and immediately start being, what was it he said..uncivilized. Nadi will get a headache from dealing with them." She shook her head, pulse still racing in her chest. “That's what would be uncivilized.”

"I'm fine." He scowled. He turned to walk away, a crash made him jump as a stray cat darted across the alley, boxes tumbled in its wake.

Rhena reached and very gently laid her hand on his arm, sliding up beside him. She felt him tense under her hand but he didn't move away, even when her hand trailed down to wrap her fingers with his. "Come on. We need a break." He nodded slowly and she led him through the alleys, heart skipping a beat when his hand tightened around hers.

He came to a halt when he realized where she had led them. The sign gently creaked in the wind where it hung above them. "This is your house." 

Rhena's nose wiggled. "Quietest place in Vesuvia. And." She smiled brightly. "I have tea."

She tugged on his hand as she opened the door but he stood fixed to the spot. "You'd let me in?"

Rhena squeezed his hand. "You are welcome here, Muriel. At any time."

He nodded, eyes closing. "I'll try not to break anything."

Rhena snorted. "I live with an extremely large and spoiled peacock that flaps his wings and fans his tail to make points in a conversation, you are fine." He had to duck to get in the front door, and Rhena wondered if there was a way to alter the door frame for taller people. She stared at it, deep in thought about how to alter the building structure before giving herself a shake.

Muriel stood in the middle of the shop space, as far away from everything as he could get, and eyed the surroundings. Jars crowded every shelf across the back wall, some doors below were left haphazardly open. jewelry fittings were neatly arranged amongst precious metals and gems. A table sat under the window, covered in projects, magnifiers scattered amongst other tools. Jars of herbs lined the wall behind the main case and jewelry was laid out beneath the glass. 

“That hideous piece I am working on is a custom piece, someone wanting-.” Rhena shook her head and fell silent. She gave him a shy smile and rubbed her neck. "Upstairs, that's where the kettle is."

He followed her up the stairs, the wood gently creaking. The upstairs was soft. Pillows and cushions formed haphazard piles around a low table. Through a door, the edge of the bed could be seen, inviting the weary into its soft blankets and draped fabrics. She tugged the door a little more closed, cheeks a little red as it caught on something, and wouldn’t close completely. "That's a mess no one should see and Faust regularly gets lost in."

Muriel gingerly sat on a low stool with a snort. "I have never been up here."

White flowers spilled from shelves and climbed trellises from ornate pots across the upstairs. Rhena put her hand up to one, the sweet-smelling plant grazing along her fingers as she smiled. She caught Muriel's eye as he watched her. "Jasmine, it’s my favorite flower." As she moved on through to the kitchen she ran her fingers around the outside of a bowl, the resin warming within. She took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh before settling in to make their tea. 

"Smells nice." She nodded, quietly humming as she picked the tea, fingers quietly settling against the amber glass bottles until she found the one that felt right. When she opened it her heart ached at its spicy smell.

Rhena grinned when the fire salamander peeked out of the stove to investigate the newcomer with flicks of his tongue. It climbed onto Muriel's leg and curled up to go back to sleep. "He makes sparks when he snores.”

"I don't mind." He almost had a smile on his face. Rhena busied herself getting water, mugs, and tea before gently lifting the salamander from his leg. "Just a little flame and you can go back to sleep on him, Sol."

Rhena handed him a stout earthenware mug, the design around the edge a bold black series of triangles and lines. Her fingers brushed his and Muriel stared at their hands touching, not moving for a long moment. He quickly pulled away and stared steadfastly into the mug. "Milk or sugar?" Rhena laughed. "I sound like my Anassa. But. Brown sugar is good with this one."

"Why would I want that?"

Muriel had his eyes closed, hands gripped around the mug, and missed Rhena's perplexed look as she settled on a large floor cushion. "Sometimes I like it sweeter, or milky. Tea here is very..." she paused a moment trying to find the least offensive description for the canal water so many called tea in Vesuvia. "Different from what we drink at home."

Muriel shrugged and took a drink. Rhena shook her head with a smile, letting herself relax into the spicy tea. She considered Muriel a moment, he seemed to be relaxing. Although she was not sure if it was the tea or Sol contentedly sleeping on him. His eyes opened and met hers, opening his mouth to speak before shaking his head and said nothing. "What?" 

He scowled. "What's what?"

She shrugged nonchalantly and took another sip. "I thought you were going to say something." His scowl deepened and he took a long drink of tea. "Muriel-."

"You let me in. This is your house." 

She didn’t understand the almost wonder in his voice. "You let me into yours."

He snorted. "Begrudgingly." 

"True." Rhena laughed. Silence followed, comfortable, and warm. Rhena swirled her tea, it was not one she drank often, the sting of home was almost too painful at times. Rhena's thoughts circled back to the woman in the alley instead of following that line of thought again. The thugs had scared her, and while she knew the woman could have easily knocked her silly that didn’t concern her much. If anything, she was envious of someone having that kind of confidence and self-assurance. "That woman wasn't from here." 

"No, she isn't."

Muriel said it with such certainty that Rhena paused. Her fingers traced the angular design on the mug as she thought a moment and wondered if he would even answer the question. "Did you know her?" She asked softly.

"Not her, her clothes." He settled more comfortably, hands looser around the mug, and seemed content to leave it at that. Rhena let it go and when he spoke next she almost dropped the mug as she finished her drink. "Thank you." Rhena cocked her head. "For the tea." He added. He got to his feet, took her mug gently from her, and washed them. Rhena lounged watching him. He was so careful, holding the stout mug like crystal. After he was done he stood awkwardly in the middle of the floor, making her little kitchen look even smaller. 

Rhena bounced to her feet. "Ready?"

"If we have to."


	9. Chapter 9

The market was full of color and smells, music twinkled amongst the gondolas. Rhena took a deep breath, enjoying every second of it. Every stall was a different riot of colors and metals, everything from simple everyday outfits to more elaborate ones for parties and events. And everything you could want to go with the clothes was here too.

"I haven't been here before." Muriel said quietly. Beneath the distrust was a glimmer of curiosity Rhena was only too happy to snatch on to.

"This is Red Street, the fashion district."

"Fashion?" 

Rhena twirled, arms spread with a happy smile. It was one of her favorite places in Vesuvia, so much to see and do and smell and touch. "Almost as good as the bakery."

"Everyone here is buying clothes." He harrumphed and surveyed the street before his eyes lit on a particular stall. It was one of the smaller ones but piled high with beautiful scarves and shawls. Rhena knew the stall well and the woman was kind. "Do you want one?" Muriel stared at her owlishly. She grinned. "A scarf? Or something else?"

"Why would I want one?" He stared at the ground and Rhena gently stepped forward until she could look up at him. He didn't flinch away from her being so close. 

"Because they are soft and warm." His expression stayed confused and that made up Rhena's mind. 

She went over to the booth and greeted the woman warmly before looking over the scarves as they chatted. The woman was pleased the deep green shawl had been made into something so elegant, the ornate gold brooch holding it at the shoulder and beads jingling along the bottom hem. “You work magic with those beads, Rhena.”

“They would be nothing without such wonderful fabric to put them on. I do nothing but add the shiny.” She laughed at their running joke, they were constantly buying from each other. As much as Rhena enjoyed decorating clothing, she despised making it. Even making a shawl was too much a burden on her patience. Muriel edged up behind her, watching with narrowed eyes. Rhena ran her fingers along several scarves before seeing it. Peeking out from under a pile was a soft and simple forest green scarf. She handed the coins over and turned to Muriel with a bright smile. "This is for you." She held it up to him.

"Why."

"You looked cold." She reached up and wrapped it gently around his neck, his body tense but he leaned forward so she could reach. She patted it softly against his chest. "It's a wonderful color for you." She gave it a playful tug as she smiled at him. 

He mumbled and she backed away giving him space. Rhena kept them to the edges as they moved through the market. He spoke up. "So. People just go here and buy very soft things to wear."

She flashed him a grin. "Some people buy itchy things to wear for some reason. Some come here to get food." She tore her gaze away from him, feeling a little shy. "Others spend time with each other and nothing more. Sometimes just looking at things is a perfect way to spend the time when you have good company" 

"I thought there'd be more violence." Rhena wasn't able to hide the horrified sound she made and he shrugged. "The Coliseum. That's how people used to entertain themselves in Vesuvia. Blood and sport." 

Rhena glanced towards the now abandoned arena, unease shifting in her stomach. She hated the place and avoided it. "Not now, not here." She said softly. "Here it's safe." It was a fact she knew deep in her bones.

He scoffed. "I doubt that."

Rhena grabbed his hand and tugged him along. "I will show you." He stuttered a moment but went with her, his eyes never left their clasped hands.

"Where are you taking me now?". His attempt to sound sullen missed its mark and Rhena tried to not chuckle.

"You'll see." She half sang.

"Why are you talking like that." His hand gripped hers tighter as they headed towards the square.

Rhena took a deep breath through her nose. Food stalls crowded the small square, vendors boasted of their candied violets and halva and she was headed for the candied fruit stall when Muriel paused at the eel stand. She squeezed his hand. "They have very good eel if you want to try some."

He jumped. "What? No!" He flushed to his ears, looking away. "I don’t have money."

She gave his hand another squeeze before she let go to head to the vendor. She returned with a bright smile and an eel on a stick and held it out to him. "Best eel on the square, marinated with happiness."

He stared at the eel, confusion and wonder warring on his face. "What do I owe you?"

"Nothing, it's a gift."

He nibbled on it. "It's acceptable." Rhena bit back her laugh.

Rhena and Muriel wandered back to the edge of the square, a quieter spot in the hustle and bustle. She bought a bag of candied lemon as they passed, the vendor laughing that she was there buying some again this week. Rhena warmed with pleasure when she caught Muriel's soft smile as he ate. She settled comfortably against the wall, foot-tapping when an old man set up his one-man band and began to play. Muriel relaxed more beside her as the cheerful music washed over them. 

"I suppose this isn't so bad." He offered the eel out to her and Rhena took a tiny bite, grinning when he flustered. Rhena chuckled softly, watching him from the corner of her eye. He eyed the place she nibbled and then very slowly took another bite.  His eyes narrowed. "Scarf. Eel. It's too many things."

"Only two." She refrained from pointing that this was a sensible trip to the market for her. She wasn’t debating how to carry anything.

"You should keep it for more important things."

She turned to look at him, her gaze soft. "You are important."

His eyes widened and if he hadn’t been standing next to a wall she figured he would have stepped back like she had just suggested something insane. "You don't even know me."

She shrugged. "That's not what makes someone important. You live and breathe." She studied him with a tilt of her head. "You are important because you are here and alive."

Muriel shook his head and fell silent. He looked deep in thought as he continued to eat. She popped another lemon into her mouth, teeth aching with its sugary tartness. She was a little disappointed she couldn’t join the others half dancing around the musician but that would have been asking too much of her companion. When he finished he straightened, hand going to the back of his head. "We should go." Rhena nodded, dropped the rest of the lemons into her biggest belt pouch. "Thanks." He added before lumbering away from her.


	10. Chapter 10

They stood at the bottom of the steps that led to the palace. "The Countess won't believe me."

"How do you know?"

"Because." Rhena waited while he found the words. "People don't listen to me."

Rhena's heart hurt at his words, they were filled with such sorrow and defeat. "I'm listening."

He gave her a look. "You're weird. You don't count."

She chuckled at that. "Possibly." She sobered. "She hired me to do this. If she will listen to me, a jeweler, a sometimes magician, and an abysmal card reader, she will listen to you."

"Sounds fake."

She reached out and took his hands in hers. "Trust me? Please."

His eyes widened before he stared away from her. "For today." He tugged his hands out of hers. And together they walked up the stairs, a sense of foreboding growing in Rhena's stomach.

_ I hope his trust isn't misplaced. _


	11. Chapter 11

"She believed me." Muriel's voice was filled with wonder. 

Rhena smiled, reaching over to pat his arm before a yawn interrupted her thoughts. "Yes, even if she has a lot of things to think about."

"Should get to bed."

"This way. It's not far." She offered him her hand and he ducked away. She yawned again as he started down the hallway. "Wrong way, unless you want a tour of the palace." He turned around and went the other way down the hall and Rhena followed after him, stifling her laugh with another head-splitting yawn.

After several hallways of silence, Muriel spoke. "So. You've been staying with the Countess." She made a quiet noise of affirmation. "And she, what kind of leader is she? No murderous tendencies, or warmongering or ugly gold statues?"

Rhena shook her head. "I have seen her order the ugly gold statues melted down though." She fidgeted with the medallion while she thought. "She's been very kind, and not just to me. Everyone I have seen her around, she has been kind too." She laughed softly. “Or at least civil when they start to drive her insane.”

"Good. She was always." Muriel spoke slowly. "Nice to me before."

"You know her?" Rhena gave him an arched look.

"That's none of your business." Rhena smiled at that. She pushed open the door, Muriel followed her inside, head-turning to take in the room. He quickly stepped back out. "This is your room. Sorry." He flushed. He hesitated for a moment as he went to leave and Rhena reached out.

"You can stay." She suggested softly. 

She watched as his eyes widened roving between her, her outstretched hand, and the door and back, rooted to the spot. Finally, he moved very slowly into the room to stand by the desk that was still scattered with her notes and some books from the palace library. "This room doesn't look very secure." 

Rhena wandered to the windows and gently traced the jagged lines of locking across its wood. She smiled softly as she worked, the only thing that was getting in was Asra or their familiars. He moved to stand beside her, closed his eyes, and traced the magic she had placed.

"It'll have to do." He stared out the window. Rhena felt a spark of anger. While she had no idea as to who or what made him feel so unsafe, she wanted to knock them silly. For the moment though, she was more concerned about making sure he knew he was safe now. She cast a thought towards Rorak in the forest with its ghost count goat. Fear squeezed coldly around her heart until she shook her head. Here it was safe. She reached out gently and placed her hand on top of his. His fingers tightened on the wood but he didn't move away. His eyes closed and he let out a held breath, shoulders slumping. 

"You're safe here."

He snorted. "I know. You put the protection spell up."

She grinned at him, pleased with the faith in her abilities. "I meant as long as we stick together, two is always better than one."

He moved away with a scoff, examining the room. "If you are expecting me to protect you." His shoulders dropped more, his body curling around itself. "I couldn't even keep the Heart safe. If something comes after you, I can't stop it."

“We.” Rhena scowled, hands on her hips. "Together, and we will stop this." 

A smile flickered across his face before he headed to the door. "When you say it I almost believe it." He disappeared out the door before Rhena could say more and closed it gently behind him. She sighed softly, exhaustion had settled deep in her bones. She fell asleep with a soft smile on her face, hand wrapped around her medallion and its myrrh.


	12. Chapter 12

Rhena growled at the just risen sun and tried to roll over and go back to sleep before giving up with a curse. Her brain was bleary, and a cup of strong tea or coffee from the palace kitchens sat at the front of her mind as she rummaged through her clothes. "Glad I grabbed some, wonder what people wear on hunts here." She opened the window a crack and sighed. "Melting in pants it is."

The dark patchwork of browns and leather reinforced knees slid comfortably into her flat-bottomed boots. After tugging the laces tight, she slipped on a short rusty red sleeveless dress, before tightening her belt around her waist. She considered herself in the mirror a moment before gathering some of the asymmetrical hem and tying it through a loop at her hip. It would let her move easier to have part of it out of the way. She stepped into the hallway, hair pins between her teeth and stopped in her tracks. Muriel was sound asleep leaned against the wall outside her room. The pins fell from her mouth, hands frozen in her hair as he blinked awake and stared blurrily up at her. "It's early. Why are you awake."

A half-strangled noise left her, hair falling over her shoulders, half obscuring her face. His clothes were rumpled and his hair mussed. The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Did you sleep here?"

He flushed, glaring down the hallway. "Of course not." He sighed. "I can't sleep in strange places." He glanced at her, blush deepening. "I was just making sure nothing dangerous came by in the night."

Rhena's heart warmed. "Thank you." She said softly. "Next time, come inside, that would have to be more comfortable."

"That's a bad way to keep an eye on things." He told her grumpily. 

"I can cast a protection spell on the door. We'd be fine.”

"It's your room."

Rhena brushed the hair from his forehead, he tensed but didn’t pull away. "You were welcome to be there."

He fell silent and her hand fell away as she bent to retrieve her pins. He spoke again as she twisted long sections of hair into a bun, staring resolutely at the floor. "The servants kept passing by and staring at me."

"You can go back to bed, Muriel, we won’t be going for a while. I'll keep watch."

"I won't be able to sleep."

Rhena reached down to him with a smile. "Let's explore then." Bewildered, he let her tug him to his feet.

"I don't want to explore this place."

Rhena’s smile turned into a grin. "I know a spot even you will like." He snorted in disbelief but followed her.

Rhena led him to the garden, a breeze blew across the flowers as fat bees buzzed lazily. The leaves rustled gently as she took a deep breath. "It's better than the palace at least." He at least sounded a little less grumpy. 

She laughed and pulled him towards the steps. "Come on."

They wandered the gardens side by side in companionable silence. Rhena stole a glance his way and her heart warmed to see a soft smile on his face and some of his tension leaving. They wandered deeper, finding the wild part of the garden, untouched by shears and careful plantings. Muriel paused and crouched down to intently study a bush.

His fingers brushed the flower there. "Wild primrose." He studied the plants around them. "Lavender. Carnations." The flowers were night and day from the carefully trimmed stems in the market and tamed garden beds. She liked these better, they made her think of the wild places.

She watched quietly as he picked blossoms, concentrating as he twisted them into a chain. She marveled at how deft his hands were for their size but when he reached for another blossom, the bush rustled. A cat popped out to stare at them with a peep.

Rhena crouched down beside him and gently reached out. The cat happily headbutted her hand before she had fully extended it. The cat purred before turning to rub her face on Muriel too.

"Do you want to help?" He asked her. She peeped joyfully, carefully picking flowers with her teeth and dropped them at his feet. Before long he had a beautiful crown of flowers in his hands.

"It's beautiful." Rhena said softly, not wanting to disturb the magic. "I never understood how to make them. Where did you learn?"

"Asra." There was a pause. "He used to make them when we were younger." His eyes closed a moment before scowling. "Waste of time."

Rhena caught it before it hit the ground. "Making something is only a waste if you throw it away." She reached up on her tiptoes and placed it gently on his head. She tucked some hair behind his ear, his cheeks burning red when a sound distracted them. 

The cat was meowing and twisted around his legs. When Muriel bent low enough, she leapt into his arms. Rhena smiled, his way with animals said far more than all his scowling.

"What do I do?" He looked up at her, confused.

"Pet her. She seems to really like you."

He scratched gently under the cat's chin, smile forming on his face as she purred louder. He reached up, plucking the flower crown from his head and placed it on the cat's. She peeped happily and hopped from his arms to investigate her new accessory. 

Portia appeared through the greenery. "I didn't think I was going to find you two, milady-." The cat chirped and pranced up to her. Portia's eyes rounded. "Oh Pepi, you look like a little princess!" She scooped her up, eyes shining as Pepi headbutted her chin. "Did you guys make this?"

Muriel flushed. "She can keep it." He stood and brushed the cat hair from him.

Portia's eyes narrowed playfully as she considered the two of them. "Well, milady is ready to go when you are." They followed her to the bridge where Nadia waited.


	13. Chapter 13

Rhena stepped out of the hut, left Asra and Nadia to talk with Morga, to plan their harebrained adventure. Muriel paced in front of the woodpile, head bowed. Sweet Pea trilled softly and pecked at her bracelet. A quick discussion was all she needed with Sweets, he was content to stay and she wasn’t as worried about it as she thought she would be. Sweet Pea wandered away and Rhena continued to let Muriel pace. Every so often he stopped about to speak but shook his head. Eventually, Rhena reached out, her fingers light on his hand. He stared at where their hands touched and took a deep breath before staring into her eyes. Rhena was struck by how green they were, like a deep forest with the sun sparkling through its branches, no hint of the storm she had seen before with his ominous warnings.

"It's too much." 

Rhena nodded, his pleading tone echoing the beat of her heart in her chest. "Do you want to stay?"

"Yes." He let out a disgruntled sigh and scowled. "No. I don't know."

Rhena laced her fingers with his and led him towards the stream and settled on a rock. He joined her, staring at his feet. Rhena's thumb smoothed gentle circles against his hand. "What happens if you stay?"

"I survive." Hw let the words fall with a shrug. 

Her heart fell in her chest at the sadness in his voice. "That's it?" She asked softly.

He scoffed incredulously. "Isn't that enough?"

"You felt the forest when we came back here. It's dying." She let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of her neck with her other hand. "It's your choice, Muriel. I." She took a deep breath, she wanted to ask him to come with her. The thought of him not being there made the whole thing far more terrifying. "I have asked enough of you as is. I’d understand." She sat a while beside him, wondering if he had turned to stone beside her even with his warm fingers twined with hers. She got to her feet with a squeeze and headed back to the hut to tell them.

"Wait." He stood and looked at the forest around him before nodding. "Asra would be furious if I let you go alone." Rhena grinned and he huffed. "Stop that. I'm not doing it for you." He brushed past her and into the hut. "We'll do it."

Rhena tucked the cloak from Nadia into her bag. She had seen some beautiful fabric in her days, but this was a caliber she had never thought existed. She smoothed the fur with her fingers before twisting the straps so the bag could be worn across her back, it was packed full of everything Portia had brought for her. Nadia was all too kind, and smart, about making sure she didn’t freeze to death going into the south. Rhena looked around the hut, at all the faces that stared at them, and felt the weight of it all fall on to her shoulders. Nadia’s voice was grave. "Happy Hunting." 


	14. Chapter 14

The adrenaline Rhena had gathered to tell Morga they needed to stop was the only thing that got her up the rickety stairs to their room. Exhausted, she fumbled with the key and pushed open the door. The room was plain, but warm. Steam rose from the tub in the corner, a divider folded neatly beside it. But the most important thing was in the middle of the room. A bed. Rhena blinked a few times and shrugged. "We can share." She almost giggled when his eyes nearly burst from his head. She flopped down on the one edge, unlacing her boots, and pulling off socks all too happy to let her toes be free of their prisons even if the floor was cold. "There's room for us both, maybe Inanna too if no one kicks in their sleep."

Muriel regarded her with a look that would have fit more with her suggesting they sprint naked through the forest screaming, or that she had grown a second and third head. She stretched, with how her back felt that was a possibility. Muriel snatched one of the spare blankets from the foot of the bed and started making a nest in the far corner. Rhena made an exasperated sound. "I’m sleeping on the floor." 

She almost flinched at the harshness in his voice but sighed as she flopped back on the mattress. "If that's your choice."

"I will." He sounded so determined, she rolled her shut eyes.

She pulled herself off the bed and set up the divider. Every muscle ached and she was cold to her bones. "Southerners must have ice for hearts." She grumbled, fetched a few vials from her bag, set her necklace on the little table and grabbed a clean set of clothes. Muriel watched her carefully. "What are you doing?"

"Using that hot water to cure what ails." She wrinkled her nose as she sprinkled the vials into the water, nodding when the water shimmered and bubbled. "We do not have horses in the Clouded Mountains. It is not a smell I am used to. Nor one I wish to have nightmares about." 

She ignored his sputtering and stepped behind the divider, pulled it wider to encircle the corner completely from view. Her clothes had barely hit the floor before she was sliding into the water. She had not intended to moan aloud but she grinned all the same at the sound from the other side of the room.  _ How we do this at home would horrify him, right into the river when its warm. _

Her heart twinged. The further south they went, the more she missed them. Rhys would be going through the ceremonies to become a man this year, receiving his first face paint.  _ Not that it mattered _ , she reminded herself,  _ they've forgotten I exist _ . Her eyes burned as she dumped her hair into the water and snatched the last vial. Myrrh and jasmine filled the room as she worked the soft bubbles through her hair and rinsed it well. She felt the most relaxed since, she sighed, since her walk back to the shop that evening. She stood wrapping her hair in one the towels that was toasty warm from being near the fire. It was odd not catching the towels on any jewelry. After the first few hours on horseback she had removed it all, the constant jingling drove her mad. And Morga she scowled; the older woman had certainly let her displeasure be known about it. She had kept her medallion, slid it on to the leather cord with Muriel’s charm. She slipped into a pair of thicker pants and pulled a soft sleeveless tunic over her head and left the rest of the layers for morning. She went to yank the tub to the window but found it already emptying. She stared suspiciously at it for a moment. Asra had told her of such things from his travels but it still seemed fake. Fake, but appreciated by her weary limbs and heavy lids. She kicked her dirty clothes into a pile and left them for later. She pushed back the divider and stood before the fire gently drying her hair. 

Inanna stared at her expectantly, the silence at her back heavy. She gave the wolf a drawl look.  _ I can't make him be reasonable.  _ She could have sworn Inanna's eyes twinkled in response.

She heard a long sigh from behind her. "There's something I should tell you." She half turned toward him, enough away to not make him completely uncomfortable. His knees were pulled up to his chest. Inanna went to him and gave him a sloppy kiss before curling up beside him. She waited patiently, fingers still gently squeezing the last of water from her hair. "I'm from the South." Rhena was not one for prayer, but her heart hoped that whatever looked after her had kept her icy heart comment quiet. "I think." He added.

She stared at him quizzically. "You aren't sure?"

He nodded slowly, hand reaching up to scratch his neck. "I don't remember much."

Rhena hadn't realized she had crossed the room until her hand was on his knee with a reassuring squeeze. "Do you want to tell me?"

He shook his head. "I just figured you should know. It's been a long time since I was here." He pulled his knees closer and she let her hand fall away. He looked like he wanted to talk. She waited and he flushed. "Just forget I said anything."

She tossed the towel by the bed and settled before him cross legged. "What do you remember?"

His forehead fell on to his hands. "I think my parents sent me away. I was young, too young to know what was happening." Rhena reached out but let her hand drop back into her lap when he continued. "They couldn't feed me; I was a burden. So, they gave me to a trader that left me in Vesuvia. They didn't want me." A touch of anger colored the sadness in his voice, but it dropped in defeat and he barely whispered the next words. "Who would?"

Rhena's heart ached. She couldn't imagine how anyone could send their child away, what would drive them to it. "I want you, Muriel." He stared at her, eyes wide and she gave him a flustered smile, twisting her hair in her fingers. "I like being around you."

"You're not the worst company. I guess." He added half-heartedly. He stared at her from behind his knees. "Thanks for listening." His eyes narrowed in a slight scowl. "Now forget all about it.'

Rhena blanked her face before giving him a cheerful grin. "Hm? Did you say something?"

"I said-." A faint smile crossed his face. "Oh." His knees were still pulled up, but his arms were more relaxed around them. "Should get to sleep. We have to leave early."

"Morga and her damned pre dawns." Rhena grumbled.


	15. Chapter 15

Rhena stared up at the dark ceiling wondering why she was awake. The sound that woke her came again and she summoned a ball of witch light and squinted towards where Muriel slept. Inanna's cold nose against her leg made her jump but she eased quietly out of bed. The floor was cold against her feet and she winced in sympathy for how his body must feel. She knelt beside him, heart aching at his soft whimpers. Rhena reached out and gently shook his shoulder. "Muriel?"

He bolted upright; eyes wild with panic before his eyes settled on her. "Rhena?" He half croaked.

His pupils filled his green eyes, body shaking and sweaty. Rhena had seen true terror only a few times in her life, and this made her blood cold. She settled more comfortably in front of him, fingers still lightly against his skin. "Are you alright?"

"What are you doing?" Rhena was taken aback by the anger in his voice. "I could have hurt you!" He recoiled from her as far as he could, fists clenched.

"You didn't." She reached out and he let her trace her fingers softly across his over and over until his fists began to unclench. "You didn't."

"What if I had?" His voice was so small.

She squeezed gently. "You didn't." He nodded, some of the trembling leaving him. But she watched his eyes, as they still searched for an escape from what haunted his sleep. "In my family, we talk about our bad dreams. It lets them go, so they hold less power. I will listen if you want."

He snorted and shook his head. "It's pathetic." He shrugged his shoulders. "And no one really likes listening to other people's dreams."

“Well.” She told him shamelessly. "I used to dream that plants cried when you harvested them, whether it was leaves or fruits." He huffed. She reached up, fingers gentle against his cheek. He leaned into the touch and they stayed that way for several breaths as he finally relaxed.

"You should go back to bed." He half whispered, the tone in his voice saying something entirely different.

"Only if you come with me." Rhena answered as softly as she stood and tugged gently until he got up. 

His cheeks flushed even in the dim witch light. "There's not enough space. I’m too big." But he still settled awkwardly on the edge of the bed.

"Then we will make room." He didn't relax as she grabbed the pillows from his nest, his eyes followed her every move. 

She piled them at the head of bed in the little corner formed by the walls and she settled against them, grateful the bed didn't have a headboard. He half got up. "This is ridiculous." 

She reached out and smoothed her fingers gently through his hair and he relaxed again. Eventually his head rested on her lap even as he stared as far from her as he could. She hid her smile. "See? Plenty of room."

"Whatever." He grumbled. He continued to relax with every brush of her hand through his hair. Soon he was boneless, eyes closed and voice heavy with sleep. "Don't tell anyone about this."

She laughed softly. "Your secret is safe with me." They soon both fell asleep under Inanna's watchful gaze.


	16. Chapter 16

Rhena gazed upwards into the vaulted canopy of trees. "Tarske." Her eyes were wide with wonder, her voice quiet with awe. A forest so old, full of a magic that no longer had a name. Leaves fluttered next to smiling statues that beckoned them onward. She grinned at Muriel. "It's beautiful."

"It's not bad." He grumbled, not entirely looking convinced of his statement.

She looked around as she slowed her horse and she stood in the stirrups, the greens were so bright, the sunlight warm as it dappled through the leaves. Even the breeze gently pushed them onward and deeper. "It wants us here."

"That’s bad." She cast him a wry look as Inanna bounded ahead happily exploring only to wait for them. Eventually, the tree roots became thick enough they had to dismount and lead the horses carefully through. After a while Muriel grumbled. "We shouldn't be here."

"We are safe here." With a conviction in her voice that surprised her as she came to stop and turned to him. The forest was powerful, protection woven in its branches and settled into its roots. No matter the power Lucio thought he wielded, they would come to no harm under its branches. It was a realization that warmed her heart, the forest in Vesuvia had a Heart of the Wood. Tarske was the Heart.

"Nowhere is safe." He let out a slight sigh. "But I don't feel Lucio here."

"Exactly." She reached out and took his hands, he stared at the touch but didn’t pull away. "Close your eyes." She ordered gently. He went to speak but she shushed him with a smile. "Close your eyes and listen. Feel the forest."

"This is pointless." He grumbled but did as she asked. "What am I supposed to be feeling."

"Just listen." She smiled softly as her eyes fluttered close and she took a deep breath opening herself to the forest. It was alive and vibrant. The echo of a thousand lives sang through her and thousands more echoed from the past. Lives lived richly and well. Dew fell from leaves, splashing on stone or soaking into roots. Birds sang and swooped. The undergrowth rustled and the forest pulsed with life. Magic flowed like wind and water about them, lazily and warm. "Do you feel it?" She whispered, opening her eyes.

"I didn't feel Lucio. If he's here the magic drowns him out." His eyes fluttered open, meeting hers. "Tarske is stronger than him." She nodded. "He could still be lurking. Best keep our guards up." She huffed but at least he seemed more comfortable.

She wondered while they walked on. If the forest had been this strong, would Lucio have been able to kill the Heart so easily? The forests of the Cloud Mountains felt like this one. Strong. Whole. Full of life, and death, but the natural cycle of the two. The forest of Vesuvia was darker, weaker even before the Heart's death. like it had been poisoned. Some had told her it was haunted but she had never seen a ghost, until Lucio. The dark spots she knew could not be trusted, no matter the forest. Her hand crept up to rub at her neck.

Inanna bounded back to them as Rhena debated if she had just seen a unicorn. "She wants to show us something." 

"Lucio?"

He shook his head. "No, she says it's puppies?"

“Puppies?” A squeak left Rhena. Inanna grabbed his cloak and tugged but he pulled it back from her. Rhena followed her down the side path without a second thought, cloak streaming behind her.

"We really don't have time for this." Muriel grumbled as he followed them.

"I don’t care." She half sang over her shoulder with a bright grin. She would have sworn she saw a flicker of a smile on his face.

Inanna led them to the roots of a massive tree and waited, tail joyful wagging. Rhena peered down at a pile of wiggling, yipping puppies, her heart ready to explode. Inanna barked and another wolf appeared. The newcomer could have been Inanna's twin as they headbutted and nuzzled in greeting.

"Inanna says they are family." Muriel stared wide eyed and confused at them. "What family?" Inanna woofed several times. "I didn't know you were captured in the South."

"Aroo!"

"Of course I never asked. Why would I?" Rhena hid a smile behind the hair that had escaped its braid. The long-suffering look Inanna had given him was one she understood in her soul. He shifted and looked away with a cough. "They are an offshoot of her pack, like cousins."

Rhena grinned. "Pleased to meet you!"

A yip pulled their attention back to the puppies. One was trying to clamber over a massive root to reach them. The mother wolf picked them up and deposited them at Rhena and Muriel's feet.

He crouched down and offered his hand. "Hi." He said softly. The pup let out a pleased yip and attempted to climb him. He met Rhena's smiling face. "They are pretty young still; they move really awkwardly at this stage." Another pup wandered over to them as Rhena settled cross legged on the root and soon had two puppies scrambling in her lap, testing various bits of her clothing with their teeth and covering her in kisses.

But it was Muriel who was holding most of her attention. This was the most relaxed he had ever been around her. He must have felt her staring as he spoke gently. "I've always liked wolves. They are loyal. Honest." Inanna woofed in agreement. "Wolves don't lie or judge you. They're just wolves." The last pup tumbled out of the den and he gently picked the little one up. It wiggled as he brought it close to his face and it yipped happily before licking his nose. He laughed a little. "Hey there." He pressed his forehead to the little pup’s, eyes closed. 

Rhena felt like she was going to melt. Her heart swelled in her chest and she resisted the urge to ruin the moment with a squeak. Sunlight shone golden around him, dappling as the leaves stirred above them. A silly smile settled on her face as she watched, rather absentmindedly petting the ones in her lap.

"What's your name?" The pup attempted a howl and proceeded to lick Muriel's eyebrow. "That's a good name."

A pure white, blue eyed pup batted at Rhena's knee and she picked it up with a laugh. "Hello, little one." She felt a brush of something against her magic, but let it go. He was a feisty one, chewing on her braid and pouncing about on her and his siblings. 

Muriel looked her way, still calm. "I guess this wasn't such a waste of time." Inanna nipped at his shoulder, her face set in an I told you so expression that made Rhena's face hurt from smiling. He gave her an arched look. "We still need to keep moving."

Rhena nodded. If anything happened to them, if Lucio happened to them, she would never forgive herself. She set the puppies from her lap, repeatedly since they were far more interested in Muriel and Rhena then they were in listening to their mother who was trying to get them back into the den.

Muriel got to his feet. "We’ll stop back by again on the way back if we can." Inanna woofed happily. Muriel glanced down at Rhena, still grinning foolishly and scratching under the white pup's chin. "Are you coming?" He half grumbled; his shyness returned like a cast iron wall. Rhena smiled as she got to her feet and followed him with one backward glance. The mother wolf stood over her den, tail wagging as she watched them go, the little white pup beside her. She felt another brush of something against her magic, pure joy and an infectious excitement was all she got before it disappeared again.

They had been walking a while when Rhena felt it. A wrongness that barely registered before a seething wave of darkness hit them. Her breath caught in her throat and she staggered as Muriel turned to her eyes wide. "Rhena?" 

"Lucio." She hissed. A horrible sound rent the air and she was off at run in its direction, Inanna at her heels. _Not this forest._

Inanna grabbed the back of her cloak and pulled her to a stop at the cave entrance, as Muriel caught up. "He's in there?" 

She nodded, breath sharp in her throat. The fear in his voice fed her anger, making her own fear seem small, as she moved in front of him. "Stay behind me."

"It's not safe, Rhena." Her fists clenched. "He could crush you."

The weight she felt in the hut returned, everyone was depending on her. And she promised Asra she would keep Muriel safe. Nothing was going to stop her from doing that, but she wasn't going to let Lucio finish whatever evil he was committing there. "We can't let him win. What would happen if we ran now?"

She heard his deep breath and he stepped up beside her, back straightening. "I won't let you go alone." 

His hand was shaking when she reached out and squeezed it, hoping he didn't feel how hers shook too. "Thank you." She said with all the sincerity she could muster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be more often now that NaNo is over, thanks for being patient!


	17. Chapter 17

"I am going to teach the two of you to fight. Properly." Morga announced hands on her hips in the middle of the forest clearing. The darkness had disappeared like smoke in the wind but Rhena still felt it inside her, taunting her. She had nearly gotten them killed. Rhena nodded in agreement.

Muriel took a few steps back, head shaking wildly. "We _lost_. And that wasn't even Lucio. There's no way we stand a chance against any of them." 

Rhena didn't want to admit it but he had a point. _How the hell do you fight someone made up of **beetles**?!_

Morga snorted and approached him, anger rolling off of her. "So what? You'll lay down and die? You'll run away?" She cut off his response. "Will you abandon Rhena in the forest to save your own skin? How far will you go?" Rhena bristled at that, she was perhaps not as made for living off the land anymore as the two of them but being alone in the forest was not a death sentence by any means.

"I wouldn't-"

"Let me put it this way." She crossed her arms and pointed a finger at him. "If you don't fight, you will die." Her eyes closed for a moment. "If you don't fight, Rhena will die." Rhena had to admit she was right on that point, if he hadn’t been there, she would have been squashed like a bug to the cave floor. One of them having some sense was better than none, even if she had no idea where hers had went. "I won't lash you to a spear, boy. I won’t hold your hand. If you don't have the heart for this, you better run now and stop wasting my time." They stared each other down, and Muriel didn't budge. Morga gave a little sigh. "If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't be here. I'd have left you both days ago." 

Muriel looked at Rhena, emotions warring in his eyes as he met hers. She looked away when Morga turned to her. "And what about you Rhena? Will you fight?"

Her chin rose. "Yes." 

"Good. At least one of you has a warrior's heart." She studied Rhena a moment longer. "You're from the forest clans of the Clouded Mountains."

Rhena nodded, pride making her voice stronger. "My mother is Anassa of Clan Ailurus and my grandmother is the Huntress of the Clouded Mountains.”

She had an appraising look in her eyes. "Then you were raised as a hunter."

Morga didn't ask but Rhena answered all the same, knowing she was out of practice. "I was raised with a bow in my hands."

Morga nodded once. "Battle magic?"

Rhena sighed, looking anywhere but at Muriel. "I can throw rocks and sometimes make cracks in the ground but it's mostly defensive spells. And summoning, although it takes a lot of concentration." She kicked at the ground with a glare.

She scoffed. "That won't keep you alive."

Rhena nodded as Muriel's voice exploded from beside her. "You can't!" She finally looked at him and winced at the anger in his eyes. "You saw how outmatched we are. If you fight, you'll die." Morga scoffed and Muriel's anger evaporated. "I'll be a coward if it means Rhena doesn't die."

"Muriel." Rhena said softly, waiting for him to look at her. "If we run, I could never forgive myself. Could you?” She waited but when he said nothing she continued. “We can't let him win. I don’t want to be that helpless ever again. I want to fight."

"He's already won! He will keep winning." His voice cracked. "And he'll make me hurt you." 

Rhena stopped breathing but Muriel shook his head and turned away. Morga broke the heavy silence. "That my son should be such a monster to you." Her eyes flashed golden. "Trust me, he is not so capable." She grabbed her spear and looked to Muriel again. "I will hunt our dinner. I expect your answer when I get back, Muriel." When he didn't answer she stared at Rhena and nodded before disappearing into the dark.

When Rhena turned back to Muriel, tears were in his eyes, his whole body shaking. He looked ready to break as she moved slowly towards him. "Muriel?" 

"You'll leave if you know." He shook his head vehemently.

A smile flickered across her face. "You've told me to leave at least 20 times. Why would I be less weird now?"

He sighed, turning from her as he quietly spoke. "I don't actually want you to." He settled on a boulder, head in his hands. She followed him and stood awkwardly, trying to find the words that wouldn’t make him bolt for the underbrush. She barely caught the deep rumble of his voice. "The coliseum in the city. I used to fight there. In Lucio's name."

A thousand feelings smashed into Rhena. She had heard of the fights, the blood, and deaths. The evilness of it still haunted some people’s words, the horror that had always rolled in her stomach when she knew some missed it. She had refused to step in its shadow, feeling the terror of the souls that had died there and the joyous bloodthirst of the onlookers. All his scars, the unwillingness to fight made much more sense. Muriel continued quietly. "I was his executioner. Whoever entered the ring with me, they didn't leave. They called me the Scourge of the South." 

She stared at him, she had heard stories, some whispered in corners by people still terrified the Scourge would return. All the tales of brutality and death did not match the man before her. "Did you want to be?"

His head snapped up, horror in his voice. "No!" His fingers dug into his palms. "I thought I didn't have a choice. He said he'd hurt Asra if I didn't." He deflated, crumbling into himself. "So, I hurt everyone else to keep him safe."

She reached out, taking his hands in hers. "The past is done, Muriel."

"You don't remember some of yours, easy for you to say." He scoffed.

"True. But it's still done.” She chewed her lip with a nod. “The future is mine and I hope...” She trailed off before speaking again with a squeeze of her hands. “Your future is yours. What do you want to do with it?"

"I don’t know."

"You have to decide now, because whatever you decide, it will change everything.” She said with certainty. “If Lucio wins, do you think he will leave you alone?" She asked quietly. 

He shook his head. "He’ll make me do it again. He'll make me hurt you. Asra."

"Then we won't let him." Rhena felt a tightness ease in her chest. "That I can promise you, Muriel. We won't let him. We won't, the stars will fall first." Rhena squeezed his hands gently and brushed a soft kiss to his forehead before she stepped back to toss more wood on the fire. 

Morga appeared with rabbits tied to her spear, and two weapons in her hands. "Are you done? Can we get started before I vomit?" Rhena rolled her eyes. her hand rising to catch the bow Morga threw at her. She threw a carved stick at Muriel's feet. 

He nodded resignedly. Morga watched Rhena smooth her fingers along the bow and tested it, it was freshly made but comfortable with a magic that sang to her own. "It's carved from the wood of the Tarske forest. You should find it cooperative. Can you form shapes with your magic?" Rhena twisted her fingers and a ball of light appeared. "Good. Shape it into an arrow." 

Rhena cocked her head studying the ball, pushing and prodding it with movements of her fingers until it snapped into an arrow. Morga nodded. "Practice making them until you can do so thoughtlessly." She paused a moment. "And without your fingers. You need them for the bow." Rhena scowled, biting back a retort. 

Sometime later Rhena collapsed onto a log as Muriel joined her. Breathlessly, she laughed her smile wide. It had been so long since she had held a bow and it felt good in her hands and made her giddy. "It's a nice stick."

Muriel snorted, examining it under careful hands. "What am I supposed to do with it? Hit Lucio in the knees?"

A calculating look crossed Rhena's face. "A little higher than that, and repeatedly." 

He sighed, ending in a little huff as he set it down. His gaze focused on a faraway tree. "Having you here. It makes it easier. Then facing him alone."

Rhena's nose wiggled as she watched his ears turn red. "Muriel-."

"Stop looking at me like that." He flushed deeper, voice harsh, scowling when she almost laughed. "Go to bed." Muriel stood and walked away, Inanna bounding happily beside him. Rhena slid down to lean against the log, looking thoughtful. Morga made a disgusted noise from somewhere in the dark.


	18. Chapter 18

Rhena half watched Morga put Muriel through some paces, barking her orders before finally cursing his hair. She almost dropped the wood she was carrying when Morga pushed him to sit and deftly braided his hair back from his face. It was the most of his face she had ever seen. 

_ Oh. _

He kept trying to shake his bangs into place, but they stayed put. He spotted Rhena staring and turned an even brighter shade of red. Morga summoned him back to practice and Rhena set about gathering the rest of the wood, preferring to not deal with Morga for another five minutes. 

Eventually it was Rhena's turn with Morga. She could form the damned arrows but getting them from the bow to the tree was an exercise that outdid her patience and Morga’s. "You can sleep when you hit a damn tree."

"Bows are made for _ arrows _ ! Made with proper wood!" Rhena said to Morga's back. The other woman didn't even acknowledge it as Rhena scowled after her. "It's like shooting air. Useless." She punctuated every word with another draw of the bow, watching the arrows just fall and disappear. "Fucking. Air." 

"Are you okay?" She half startled not realizing Muriel had come up to her.

She sighed, kicked at the dirt first but nodded. 

"KEEP PRACTICING!" Rhena aimed at the tree closest to Morga and let the arrow fly. It thudded into the bark, disappearing halfway up the shaft. Morga looked at it appraisingly as Rhena stared her down defiantly. "Again, until you don’t need anger to do it." 


	19. Chapter 19

Rhena's stomach growled in protest of Morga's announcement that they were on their own for getting food.  _ She could have said so sooner, like when we passed those damn berry bushes. _

Muriel rubbed the back of his neck. "I know how to live on the land. You can come along. If you want." He added before turning red. "I wouldn't mind." 

"I'd love to." 

He huffed. "You don't need to say it like that. It's just lunch." She patted his arm gently as he shook his head. "Heard water this way." 

It didn't take long to find the stream. She smiled as he reassured the deer they were there to share. He slipped out of his cloak, sunshine warming across his back. Rhena's cheeks pinked a little when he caught her staring. "Do you know how to fish?"

She shook her head. "Not without a trap."

"I'm not surprised." 

"And just what does that mean?" Rhena's eyes narrowed playfully.

He laughed and shook his head. "You live in the city, and city people are soft."

She scrunched her face like a prune. "I'll have you know, I didn't live in a city until I came to Vesuvia." She half pouted. "I am  _ not _ soft."

He reached out, his thumb brushing against her cheek caused her brain to stop working. "Feels soft to me." They stood frozen for a moment before his hand dropped away. "I can teach you. If you want."

She nodded enthusiastically and tossed her cloak down with his before taking his hand as she stepped into the river. He put her standing on a small flat rock. "Or you'll have water in your boots." She slipped trying to get better footing but Muriel caught her, steadied her with both hands with barely a blink. "You have to stay still." 

They stood watching the stream go by. Well, Muriel was. Rhena was feeling her heart trying to escape her chest. He was confident here.  _ And it's a good look.  _ She gave herself a shake.  _ Drowning because I'm too busy gawking, Morga would reach into the afterlife to smack me with that damned spear. _

"Watch for fish. And when you see one." A few approached them. "Grab it." 

Rhena, overzealous and overestimating, grabbed, felt the fish wiggle in her hands before promptly slipping into the water. Big arms immediately surrounded her, pulled her close to his chest. "I said keep your footing steady."

A hiccup of a laugh left Rhena. "Let's try again."

"After you nearly drowned?" Rhena looked up at him, eyes twinkling. He sighed and slowly let her go as she found her footing again. "Fine but I'm staying close." 

"No complaints from me."

"That's not what I meant!" Rhena's grin just widened with a laugh and settled on to her feet, watching for another fish, and ignored the water in her boots. 


	20. Chapter 20

Rhena and Muriel gazed out over the vast frozen plain. The ground was hard beneath their feet and it spread endlessly and unbroken into the horizon. "The Shining Steppe. This is where I was born."

Rhena still shivered beneath the layers she was wearing under Nadia's cloak. Morga had already given her derisive opinion of her delicate sensibilities. Rhena couldn't be bothered to care. "It's beautiful." He gave her an arched look at that and she shrugged self consciously drawing the cloak tighter about her. "I am cold, not blind." A little huff of laughter left them both. "Is it like you remembered?" She asked softly.

Muriel was quiet for a long moment. "Flashes here and there, nothing specific. Probably for the best."

She studied him thoughtfully. "Do you have  _ any _ good memories?"

"Good memories?" She nodded and frowning he stared out at the tundra. Inanna startled him as she headbutted his hand. "Yes, meeting you wasn't a terrible memory, Inanna." She stared up at him very pointedly. It made Rhena's nose twitch as she watched them. "I guess it's happy. Sort of." 

"Would you tell me?"

He shifted. "I'm not really good at telling stories." Inanna woofed and he sighed leaning down to scratch her ears. "I was still a gladiator, I told you Lucio had me perform executions." His voice grew an edge. "Sometimes he'd get bored, throw me in there with rabid animals to shake things up." Rhena felt her heart in her throat, knowing what he was going to say next. "That day, he put me in the arena with Inanna."

She looked at them, a bemused smile forming. Inanna looked very pleased. "I am assuming he didn't get what he wanted." 

He shook his head. "No."

Inanna woofed. "I didn't forget, I just didn't say it." She woofed again. "She says Lucio caught her when she attacked his army as it marched through the forest. Anyway." He said with a look to Inanna when she made a whuffling sound. "When they opened her cage, she was starving. Her fur dirty. I expected her to attack me but she just sat there." A small smile appeared. "Lucio was furious. Docile wolves don't make for good entertainment." Inanna licked his hand, tail thumping. "And I knew I couldn't do it anymore." He continued a little quickly. "She was innocent. She hadn't done anything except defend her home from invaders. Everyone else I had faced were criminals. And they fought back. But not her. She looked me in the eyes and waited. So I took my axe and broke down the gates keeping us in the arena and we ran." 

"Both of you."

"Both of us. I could have left, I could have walked out on my own whenever I wanted. But I didn't until her." A tired sigh moved his shoulders. "I thought she'd leave when we got to the forest. Instead, she stayed. Still hasn't left." At the last sentence he smiled, wide and genuine before pressing his forehead to Inanna’s. "Without her I'd still be in that arena." He looked up, flushing across every inch of skin she could see. "Story's over. Let's get moving." Rhena gently scratched under Inanna’s chin as she watched him head out over the tundra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> regular updates are back!


	21. Chapter 21

"Make sure he comes back in one piece." Rhena heard Morga say softly as Rhena went into the darkness after Muriel, summoning a ball of light as she went. Morga was hard on them, true, but she had grown to like the woman too. Morga reminded her of her Anassa and Nana. A wolf howl led her to the stream, and the figure huddled next to it. 

Inanna paced before him but he looked up as the light reached them. His eyes were red and her heart ached. "Go away." She reached out gently, he looked so small under the vast sky. He jerked away from her. "Don’t." She nodded and dropped to the ground before him and waited, for as long as he needed her to. She gently toyed with her medallion, her fingers occasionally brushed the charm next to it. Finally, he spoke. "I don't want to hurt you." 

"I know." She said softly.

"Do you? How can you?"

"You told me you wouldn't." She was calm, sure of her words and hands falling still in her lap as her head fell to one side to watch him. 

"It doesn't matter what I say. My hands are stained with blood. You don't." His breath caught in his throat. "You don't just forget that. People don't just change." The tears that had formed in his eyes slipped down his cheeks. "This is who I am." 

Rhena shook her head. "No." She met his shocked gaze, her eyes steady and bright with their sunshine glow. "I trust you, Muriel." 

"I don't trust myself."

"I can prove it." She took his hands squeezing gently when he tried to pull away and he stilled. 

"How? By fighting? I know how that goes! You." He choked out. "Bloody at my feet like everyone else." Rhena's heart ached at the pain in his eyes, the fear. "You have to let me leave. You're too important to hurt." 

He tried to pull away but Rhena was faster with her knees under her. Her lips met his for a brief moment. He stopped trying to escape, his hands hovering awkwardly. "What are you doing." 

Rhena gave a short huff of embarrassed laughter as she pulled away a little, hand still wrapped in the front of his cloak. "Not a great job at kissing you apparently."

He stared at her, a million things rushing through his mind and across his face. "Why."

"I." She floundered, flushing and letting go of him. "I don't want you to leave." 

"So you kissed me."

Rhena fell back to sit on her heels again, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. "Yes?"

"Okay." He said with a slight nod, still sitting still and not trying to get away. "It was." Rhena perked up a little as he struggled to find the words. 

After a moment, she gave him a shy smile, her eyes sparkling. "Should I try again?" She chewed the inside of her lip as his face turned into a kaleidoscope of red.

"It wouldn't be." He spluttered. "I mean." A mumbled stream of words left his mouth so fast she didn't catch it. At her quizzical look, he said it again. "It wouldn't be the worst thing."

She leaned up a little on her knees again, giving him time to escape if he wanted, her one hand steadying herself against his bicep. He stared out over her shoulder and she smiled a little before brushing her lips against his. He leaned forward, nose gently bumping hers as he softly kissed her back, his hands gentle at her back and waist, holding her like she was priceless. 

Rhena pulled away for breath, eyes fluttering open as the sky began to glow with light, ribbons dancing across the sky in a thousand colors. Muriel looked upwards and watched them. She had heard of the southern lights, but none of the descriptions had done them justice. How the colors were so bright even as they shifted, like an endless song dancing through the stars. Her gaze kept returning to him. She knew he was the same Muriel, but he wasn't either. Her eyes roved his face and shoulders before it hit her with a spark of happiness. "The chains are gone." Her voice was quiet and filled with wonder. 

He started, checking his wrists and finding them gone before his hands went to his throat. The collar was gone too. Rhena leaned back, searching but they were lying on the ground beside them. "I don't understand."

Rhena reached out, fingers gently running along the scars on his wrists. "They were from the Coliseum." 

"Yes. To remind me." He picked them up, studied them a moment before hurling them as hard as he could into the darkness. He watched where they went for a moment before turning back to Rhena, lacing his fingers with hers. "Thank you." 

"I didn't do anything." She shook her head with a soft smile.

"No, you." He took a deep breath. "You did. All I've ever done is run away. I don’t. I don’t know how to do anything else. But you." He met her eyes before staring down at their hands, both of them twined together now. "You came and you wouldn’t let me. You expected more from me." He looked a little ashamed as he continued. "Even when I was mean. Even when I tried to drive you away." He flushed. "And you are patient. You give me time to talk, even when I'm not good at it." 

"I'm not always great at it." She fidgeted, thumbs brushing against his knuckles. "It's hard sometimes." 

"You're better than me." 

She gave him a bright little smile. "We can get better together then."

"I'd like that." He looked away then, truly away. "Sorry for running off." 

"Morga would drive the forest to the end of their patience." She said tartly. He stood and pulled her up, keeping her close to him. "I'm glad you are coming back to camp." He smiled a little at that but it turned to a scowl with her next words. "She's going to keep at it about the sparring."

He sighed. "Nothing sharp, hand to hand only."

Rhena's eyes rounded and a shaky laugh left her. "I don't know how. If they got that close my training was run away before they get that close."   


"I'll show you." He leaned down towards her when a sound from the stream interrupted them. Water was bubbling rapidly and spreading out to form a smooth surface. "Rhena?"

"Not me." She said softly and called small stones to her as she edged to the stream. She peered into the smooth surface and the rocks thudded to the ground. "Asra?!"

Asra and Nadia peered up at her, a third figure coming into view. Julian waved with a chuckle. "Fancy seeing you there, Rhena."

A moment of silence was followed by everyone speaking at once, Nadia worried when the horses arrived without them, Asra asked a thousand questions, Julian a thousand more. Finally they fell into silence again and it was Muriel who spoke. "We're alive. Are the horses okay?" Rhena nodded anxiously beside him. The smelly things had grown on her. 

Asra laughed. "They are fine, if a little dirty. We were more worried about you two. When they came back without you." He ran a hand through his hair, his laughter disappearing like smoke. "We feared the worst."

Relief had filled Nadia's face. "We are all quite glad to see you alive and well, to be honest." She paused a moment. "Are you? Well, I mean."

"It's been a bit of a disaster but we are fine now." The three faces stared up at them not looking the least bit convinced. "We’re alive and that's what matters." She added.

"Not for long if Lucio has his way." Rhena debated kicking his shin.

"Tell us everything." 


	22. Chapter 22

Muriel had headed back to camp but Rhena stayed to speak to Asra, even with the twinkle in his eyes. "You and Muriel, hm?" He didn't say anything else, but his smile widened when Rhena flushed.

"Yes, me and Muriel-."

He lit up. "Really? Like really really?'' Rhena smiled, his glee infectious. "I knew it. This is so exciting, tell me everything." Rhena laughed but his grin faltered. "I mean you don't have to if you don't want to. Of course. I just. It's really good to hear that he's opening up." 

"Well." Rhena caught him up on everything. It was like being back at the shop, her and Asra kicked back at the table and just talking. When she got to the kiss, he gasped and clapped.

"He kissed you back." She nodded, half hidden in her cloak but grinning. "I’m so proud of him. And you." He straightened his shoulders and attempted to look serious. "When's the wedding?"

Rhena gave him a grin that made her nose crinkle. "Tomorrow, I think. Inanna agreed to officiate." Asra laughed, deep and long.  _ He hasn't been this happy in a long time.  _ She thought affectionately.

"That's probably a little fast for him." Rhena chuckled as he continued. "I've known him a long time, you know." He gave her a sly grin. "The day after tomorrow then, I'll wrestle Inanna to see who officiates." Rhena laughed but it fizzled out when Asra grew somber. "It's been a long time since I've seen him this happy. Life," Asra sighed. "It got crueler, and crueler. And worse when the plague came. And we ran. But. He ran further, into himself. It always felt like something was missing. He didn't smile a lot." Asra gave her a conspiratorial grin. "And every time he thought you weren't looking, he was beaming at you." 

Rhena's heart thudded and her voice squeaked. "Really?"

"Really.” He said with a grin before sobering again. “I don't know what the future has in store. With everything happening, all the moving pieces. But I know how strong you are, how strong Muriel is. Together you can take on anything."

She nodded as he stood away from the water. "Wait!" He stopped, brow raised. "Sweets?"

He grinned. "Waiting for news, hee's keeping the chickens company." 

She smiled. "He's going to give them complexes."

"I'll keep in touch okay?" They waved and the magic disappeared, leaving her alone on the tundra, but her heart was happy.


	23. Chapter 23

The weeks on the road with Morga were changing her. Her cloak was piled on the ground beside her, beads of sweat forming in the heat of the fire even as the moon reached its zenith. Rhena was leaner, the softness that her body had carried had given way to muscle, her clothing hanging to every curve and dip. Firing a bow, even a magic one, multiple times a day and training at hand to hand combat was far different from her dancing. Muriel stared across the fire as Rhena smoothed a whetstone across the dagger she now kept at her waist. Her brows were furrowed, her concentration on the blade edge but her thoughts were far away.

"You are thinking hard." Muriel finally said.

Rhena looked up and gave him a small smile. "I haven't carried this since I lived with my family. I can, maybe.” She gave him a shy smile. “Look threatening with it." She gave the dagger a slight brandish before sliding it back into its sheath. She slumped forward, elbows resting on her knees. "I miss them." The silence was heavy with memory. She tried to give him a grin, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Have I ever told you about them?" He shook his head. 

Rhena's laugh was small as her gaze darted away, crossing her arms with fingers tapping on her elbow. "I am the oldest of 12. My Anassa has the luck, or curse, of having twins. Five sets of girls. Rhys was the first boy and the last child." She shook her head. "It was absolute mayhem, 12 kids in the space of ten years. Someone was always losing something or squabbling. But we were happy." She sighed loud enough Inanna looked up at her. "Family is the most sacred thing in the Clans. With family, you always have someone behind you to support you or in front of you to guide you. You always have someone to turn to, to rely on. Stronger together." Her fist thumped against her heart for a brief second and she stared at it a moment in shock before shaking her head.

"Why did you leave then?" 

Rhena chewed her lip a moment. "I wanted, needed to get away." Her hand moved to rub her neck, her face darkening for a moment. "My aunt ran the shop and I decided I would come here and learn from her. I went back after a year. Not long after Nana received word she had passed, and left the shop to me." She scowled a moment. "And then it's all gone. Like smoke." Muriel shifted uncomfortably, knowing what she did not was not an easy burden. If she noticed, she said nothing of it. "I want to go back when this is done. I-." A tear fell, trailing down her cheek before she wiped it away angrily. "Sometimes I worry that with the memories I lost, that they forgot me. The little ones, how could they remember me anyway?" She cut herself off not wanting to cry in front of him, he had enough sorrows without hers.

"No one could forget you, Rhena."

Her eyes were soft as they met his over the flames, her heart warming a little at the sincerity in his voice even if she didn’t believe it. "Thank you." She said quietly. 

Morga appeared with harumph. "Get some rest, the sun will rise soon enough."

Rhena glared at Morga's back when she turned to disappear into the night. "Do you think she sleeps?" Muriel made a noncommittal noise. Rhena's glare softened and bordered on pity she knew the older woman would hate. "I don't think I would, Lucio is a bastard but he's still her son. She still cares." She fluttered her cloak out beside her and stretched out on it. "No matter how much she claims otherwise." She pulled it tight over her shoulder as she turned away from them.

Muriel stared into the fire awhile, enjoying the quiet crackle as it burned. Inanna sat bolt upright beside him and stared across the fire. Muriel reached for his stick as she rose but let it fall when she trotted over to Rhena's prone form. There was a loud sniffle, Rhena's voice rough and tight. "Its fine, Inanna. Go on back to Muriel."

Inanna plopped down beside her, earning her a groan when she licked Rhena's face. "Fine, you." She pulled her cloak up over her head entirely. She jumped at the touch on her shoulder.

"Just me." Muriel said gently. He stretched out on the ground beside her. She pulled the edge of the cloth down, her puffy green eyes glittering with the night sky. Muriel adjusted more comfortably onto his back, head pillowed against Inanna's side. "Do you know their names?"

"The stars?" He nodded and she wiggled the rest of the way from under her cloak. "I know a few." She stared up, studied them with a purse of her lips. "They are in just little different places from home but that-." She pointed. "Is Sagittarius the Centaur, my birth stars.” She turned to him with a smile. "Do you know yours?"

"My what?"

"Birth stars." He shrugged. "Welllll, when is your birthday?" He stared at her owlishly. "Unless you sprang up from the ground like a tree?" 

He snorted at that. "September." He thought a moment longer. "10th?"

She hummed and stared thoughtfully at the sky. "A Virgo then, a child of the harvest." She pointed it out. "Next to it is the Bird of Paradise." Her cheeks colored. "Well. In my homeland it is. In Prakra they call it something else entirely." She scowled. "Probably because they wouldn't know a Bird of Paradise from a water lily with all their coastline."

"Even Nadia?"

She considered it a moment. "Nadi probably does. There are exceptions for everything." 

He chuckled softly. "Are there exceptions in your clan?"

"Always." He regretted his question when her eyes grew desolate. She sighed, stared up at the stars as they spun slowly in the heavens before sitting up to hug her knees. "Clan Ailurus, we. Ugh. My Anassa is the Anassa, She's hmm." She was quiet for a moment while she thought. "It is what we call our mothers, and she is considered the mother of the clan. We are truly ruled by a council, every adult in the clan has a say but it's her word if there is a tie, her word is what's heeded in emergencies, and her job to calm any arguments amongst them."

"Does that happen often?"

She nodded. "We take our name from the forest cats. They are large, far larger than Inanna." She woofed quietly. "It's true, I promise, some of the largest ones can carry two riders. They are fiercely territorial and we tend to also be that way.” She gave him a quick grin before she grew quiet again. “Usually several of the clan bond with an Ailurus every generation. Always the Anassa, and always the Heir." She adjusted and looked far away, hand absentmindedly rubbing the back of her neck. "Even Nana, who was not Anassa but the Huntress." 

"And you were the Heir." 

She nodded glumly. "Anassa claimed she didn’t care and she truly didn't, never acted like I was a disappointment. But I felt every look, every word the others said. And they were the same things I told myself. What heir cannot bond with the Ailurus? The daughter of the Anassa? Granddaughter of the Huntress? An heir with such pride being such a disappointment." She dashed tears from her face that was snarled in disgust. 

Muriel waited like she had so many times for him. When she finally spoke she was so quiet he had to move closer to hear her as she refused to look at him. "I went back to the bonding grounds alone. There wasn’t any other sound besides the snarling in the dark, no owls, no bugs, no frogs. The biggest Ailurus I had ever seen stepped into the light, teeth bared. It had to be one of the oldest, if not a god of the wood. And I stuck out my hand like I had months before." A huff of laughter left her lips. "I begged that damn cat to give me a second chance, that I could prove my worth. The last thing I remember is its teeth." She rubbed at her neck, tracing the scars along the base of her skull. "Nana told me when I woke later it had dragged me back to our camp. They thought it was bringing me back from some horrible accident like a wayward kit. They didn't know until I hit the forest floor that its teeth had been embedded in my shoulders and head. By the time I woke the whole clan knew what I had done." 

One hand held her hair aside while the other tugged down her shirts. Jagged scars covered her skin, the punctures round and raised, even up into her hairline leaving lightning streaks of white scars instead of hair. She gave her hair a shake and let it fall back before she hugged her knees to her chest again. "Some in the Clan called for me to be punished for my stupidity, the Trial of the Forest. It was political.” She gave a vague wave of her hand. “Anassa had been in charge for years at that point. But Nana intervened, the Huntress was one that the unhappy schemers were unwilling to fight if it came down to it, not with so few supporters. When the Huntress speaks, you listen." She shrugged. "Nana, Isla, the Huntress. The title is earned and rarely given. She kept the clan from starving and gathered the other clans together to fight invaders. She was the Huntress of the Clouded Mountains, a title that is beyond clan bindings, her word honored as law.”

"What's the Trial of the Forest?" He sat up, hand hovering over her shoulder but he let it fall back into his lap.

She chewed her lip, debating it. She sighed, eyes staring at her kneecaps lost somewhere beneath the layers of clothes. "The guilty are taken to the deepest part of the forest and left. No food, no water, no weapons. Only the clothes on your back. The Old Ones live there, they distrust humans at best, hate at worst. Sometimes they give blessings. If the forest lets you live, you are absolved of your crime. Of the few who had been subjected to the trial since my great grandmother was a child, none returned. The Huntress didn't dare the deepest forest unless the sun was high and with her Ailurus's approval." A bitter laugh left her as her forehead fell to her knees, she could feel the terror still, like an old wound in the winter. “I was 14.”

"You were a child." He scowled, anger adding an edge to his voice.

“Politics.” She shrugged again. "But I had gone against the will of the Forest and it was enough to scare me from doing anything like it again. Which may have been some of the Elders' points, they didn’t want another child wandering out into the woods with an ego bigger than their brain. After that.” She gave a vague wave of her hand. "Nana wrote to my aunt, who owned the shop. While we waited I spent every moment out of the village and by the river, not wanting to see anyone’s pity or kindness or understanding. Not wanting to deal with any of it." She shook her head. "I met Sweet Pea who followed me around screaming and stealing my things for weeks until I finally sat down and listened." Muriel huffed at that. "When I left for Vesuvia he came with me. We went back in the summer for Anassa's bonding to Baba." She half felt his question. "It's like marriage in Vesuvia but not, it's not something to be undertaken lightly. When you choose to bond with someone, it's a binding of your souls, your lives forever entwined." She shot him a little smile. "It took her that many years to convince him she was serious, him being Prakran be damned." She fell silent a moment. "They both cried when I left again. The Clan had moved on, changing some of their ways. Thinking that my trying to live up to their expectations had brought me misfortune. They took the blame for it, but I knew. I knew and I couldn’t stay. I didn’t want to look at the Ailurus, I didn’t want to see who was going to replace me as heir. I didn’t want-.” She trailed off and was silent for a long time.

"And yet I miss them." She sniffled, rubbing tears from her eyes. "That made it all sound awful. I had the happiest of childhoods, even when things were tough for the clan. And there were good times in that year too. Rhys painted Neridia and Zara's hair green in their sleep." She shook her head with a fond smile. "They." She choked up again. "They tried to make me a peacock shaped cake for my birthday and blew up the Clan oven. We spent 3 weeks rebuilding it. It wouldn't have taken so long but we kept getting distracted making clay statues and throwing mud."

She finally looked at him, eyes red and overflowing. "There's been no letters. No word. Not once since I woke up 3 years ago. Just the tea. I think she is really sending it to Asra. Or for all I know they paid for a lifetime of tea to be sent. There’s no signature.” Her voice caught. “I've sent hundreds of letters." Her whole body shuddered. "It's like I disappeared for them. Nothing more than smoke.”

Muriel reached out for her and she froze a moment before letting him pull her tight against his chest. He didn't know what to say. She shuddered, trying to hold in any sobs. He heard a muffled protest, her face buried in his chest. "This is stupid." 

"No." 

She pulled a handspan away from him. And hiccuped. "Ugh." She groaned. His arms dropped from around her and she settled back on her own cloak. She wiped the last of her tears away, cursing every time another hiccup shook her. She tried to give him a cheerful smile but it fell a little flat. "Thank you."

"..you’re welcome." 

"Sorry about getting your cloak wet."

"It'll dry." He answered wryly. Inanna woofed. "We know." Rhena raised her brows, perplexed. "We should get some sleep." 

She wiggled and flopped backward before wincing and rolling on to her side to look at him as he joined her. "On top of every sharp rock in the world." He nodded yawning but was soon fast asleep. Rhena laid awake awhile watching him breathe. "Like a weirdo." She muttered to herself. Her thoughts crept back. 

A clan elder had always told her no forest would ever welcome her under its branches. No creature allow her presence to taint theirs. Vesuvia's forest was sick, now dying, but her first timid excursions amongst its trees she met only friends. Rorak, who walked slowly letting her balance against him as she stretched her body and learned to dance. The deer that watched her quietly, still company when she desired to be alone. Even the wolves let her be,  _ Although _ she considered  _ that was probably Inanna's doing. _ Tarske had welcomed them, sharing its light and life and strengthening their tired bodies with its old magic. It didn’t drop a single tree on her head and the only danger had come from outside the forest.  _ Maybe I just needed to find my forest. _

Her eyes fell shut to the sound of leaves in the wind as she lay on the tundra.


	24. Chapter 24

Rhena stared up at the stone, the smell of forget me nots washing over her. She laid a gentle hand on Muriel's shoulder and settled on her heels beside him. As long as he needed, she was going to stay.

He reached out, hand trembling to run his fingers along the stone. "They." His words cut off, a sob leaving his throat. His hand slid to the ground, tears falling openly on the flowers as his fists bunched them. Rhena reached out, faltering a moment before rubbing his back. No words would be enough for this, worthy of it. His back heaved. "They were right here. This whole time." He tried to rub the tears from his face, but they kept falling. Rhena wrapped her arms around him.

He clung to her, how such a big man could feel so small in her arms ached in her chest. She brushed a kiss against his temple before he tucked himself beneath her chin as she continued to run her hand down his back. "I’m pathetic." She heard him mumble into her shirt.

"No." 

"I am, they." He fell silent again. She kept him wrapped in her arms, humming softly until he calmed. He started to pull away. "I'm sorry, I'm done." He didn’t look like it.

"Nope." She reached out again and pulled him tight against her. He tensed for a breath but relaxed into her. This time when he pulled away, there was a slight smile on his face. 

"Thank you." 

She smoothed her fingers across his cheek brushing away the last of his tears. "I will always be here when you need me." 

"What if I never stop?" His voice grew quieter. "What if I always need you around?"

"I will be." She answered simply.   


"I can't ask that." 

"You don't have to." She shook her head, a soft smile forming. "You are stuck with me." 

"I like being around you too. That's new for me." Rhena's heart skipped at how he did not hesitate to say it. "I mean." He spluttered now. "I liked being around Asra too. But I haven't gotten sick of you yet." He stared rather sternly at the ground. "I thought it would happen weeks ago."

He smiled a little at the snickering snort that left her and he stood, looking around. "It's a nice spot. Khamgalai was right, the sun does hit it just right." He moved to the edge of the little hill, gathering a handful of flowers. He delicately wrapped some stems together, holding them in a lovely bunch before he placed them on the stone. "I don't know how to feel about them. I don’t..it's all a mess in my head. Swirling around. I wasn't even angry, I thought they sent me away because I was a burden." He quieted a moment. "My whole life. It followed me. Everywhere I went. Don't talk too loud, don't eat too much. Don't bother anyone." He sighed out the last words. "Don't be a burden." He paused studying the images carved into the stone, the two people holding hands in a field of flowers under a shining sun. "The Kokhuri left everywhere better than when they arrived. I don't know if I can live up to that." His hand left the flowers on the stone as he turned to her. "But I want to try, for them."

Rhena reached up, tucking his escaped hair behind his ear. "You will."  _ You already do. _

"I hope so." He leaned into the touch a moment longer before he flushed. "We should get back. I’m okay now. Really." He added at her pointed look. He wrapped his hand around hers as they walked down the hill to the hut, with a single backward glance.


	25. Chapter 25

Rhena ducked Muriel's arm. She knew Morga told them to hide.  _ If that goat faced bastard says one more damn word.  _ She shoved up her sleeves, getting them out of her way, her bow somewhere in Khamgalai’s hut but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to hide. "She's not alone, you bastard." Muriel blinked a moment before he stepped out beside her. 

"I hope you know what you are doing." He said quietly.

"Foolish child! I was giving you a chance to run."

"Then you shouldn't have taught us to fight." Something flashed through Morga's eyes but any further argument was cut off by Lucio's maddening whine.

"Mother, you lied to me." 

She took a long suffering breath. "You're one to talk. Don't be so offended, Montag." 

He sniffed loudly before turning on Rhena and Muriel. "She never tried to protect ME! What makes you so special? You're terrible replacements for me!"

"Replacing you would require us to be as awful as you. We are much better." She smiled sweetly. "It also helps that we don't look like we got our heads stuck in a children's fair." She held her hands up mimicking his horns with a smirk.

Lucio's mouth fell open as he stared her down, spluttering in rage. "Excuse me?" He growled reaching for his sword, only to be blocked by Morga.

"Your fight is with me, Montag." 

"What? Are you going to protect them again, mother? Cut down your own flesh and blood for a killer and useless little magician, is that it?" Muriel grabbed Rhena before she launched herself at Lucio.

"If I must. Montag." 

Valdemar sighed, causing Rhena to drag her eyes from Lucio and Morga and wondering how she had forgotten they were there. "Now, now Lucio. We are here for business." 

"Business my ass!" Khamgalai yelled." We won’t just stand here and let you do what you want."

The look Valdemar fixed on them with chilled Rhena to the bone, the fight and anger in her draining away. "But that's exactly what I expect you to do." 

"Don't underestimate me, creature." 

Lucio laughed. "Look, I can behave. I can be civil." He watched them, hands spreading in a calming gesture. Something tugged at Rhena, he looked familiar, reminded her of something. "Things got a little heated, but it's been so long since I've seen my dear old mother. I'd love to catch up. And Muriel!" He laughed, making the hair on Rhena's neck stand up. "How's my favorite murderer? Still killing people for sport?"

"Look here you pompous-." 

Muriel cut her off. "No. I don't do that anymore." 

Lucio’s laugh turned into a sneer. " What? Because you are protecting that little witch?" Rhena bristled. "You can't wash this blood off your hands, Muriel. No matter how hard you try." 

"At least I want to try." 

"What?" Lucio laughed. "Do you feel bad for what you did now? Guilt weighing you down." He straightened. "Guilt is a waste of time. I feel sorry for people who let something like that drag them down."

Morga cut him off, speaking to Rhena and Muriel "Talking with him is a waste of time." 

"Only because you never listen!" He half shrieked at Morga. A small part of Rhena acknowledged she would find this to be a terrific drama to watch on the stage, safe in the theatre seats, with a bag of candied lemons. Some tea, Sweet Pea slapping people every time he unfurled his tail in peacocky laughter.

_ Sweets, what have I gotten us into? _ Rhena knew when someone was trying to rile her up, looking at his ugly face was enough, but she felt her unease growing with every word he spoke but maybe she could use him to their favor. "Morga's right. You are a waste of time." She nodded sagely.   


Lucio's gaze snapped to her, red eyes narrowed. She returned his stare coolly." I wouldn't listen to her, little Rhena. She's a washed up hack. Couldn't even protect her own husband." 

"He was weak. Even weaker than you." Morga sneered.  


"Explains some things." Rhena’s mutter was drowned out by the endless whine.

"I still beat him! You never appreciated my achievements!" 

"You killed your own father?" The horrified tone of Muriel's voice matched the look on Rhena's face.

"He was in my way. Maybe you can learn something from his mistakes, Muriel." 

"You lost to me then, Montag. You will lose now." 

He tsked. "Now now, mother. I'll be unstoppable when this is done."

"When what's done?" Rhena asked, as she very slowly tried to form arrows out of sight of Lucio and Valdemar. She wasn't sure how well they would work without the bow, but she had to try. She vowed to ask Asra to teach her more battle magic, the ground was too hard for her to use any that she knew.  


"I guess there's no harm in telling you." He said with a conspiratorial laugh. "It's not like you can stop me. Not when I'm this close." 

"Our deal." Valdemar interrupted sharply. "Is not completed." Lucio scoffed.

"Deal?" Muriel sighed. "You are truly an idiot."

"You just don't understand good business. I have made some very beneficial deals." Rhena’s mind tried to put it all together, another deal, what did they have that he wanted. None of it made sense beyond his want of power. "I give up a few hearts here and there and in return I get power. Just a few more now." He said almost to himself. "And I'll have enough." He smiled. "Enough. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." 

Rhena's mind whirled trying to remember if anything the books Asra had mentioned hearts. Morga sighed. "Thank you." 

"Finally! Some recognition!" He paused. "For what?"

"For making this easier on me." She said calmly. Morga lunged.

"I don't think so." Valdemar snapped her fingers, bones erupting from the graves around them.

Rhena jerked trying to escape the hands now grabbing her, but she was dragged spitting and cursing to her knees. She felt the arrows dissolve and couldn’t call them back. She felt muffled and fear hit so hard she almost lost everything in her stomach. She was defenseless, helpless again. Morga, Muriel, Inanna, and even Jaeger were knocked to the ground and pinned. They were all defenseless. Panic set her heart racing, her breathing unsteady.   


Valdemar turned to Lucio. "You said there'd be a heart for me here. Were you planning on offering me something  _ dead _ ?" 

Lucio shrugged as Rhena's blood ran cold. "It was fine with Vulgora." 

"You'll find I have higher standards." She sighed seemingly bored. "No, I think something a little more alive." Everything in Rhena screamed to get free, _run_ , as Valdemar approached them. "The only question is which one?" 

Morga leveled them her most murderous glare. "Just try it." 

Valdemar chuckled, weaving around her towards Rhena, admiring her like a butterfly in a net. Rhena struggled and tried to pull herself free, just a finger or two. She couldn't reach her magic but maybe if she could get her knife.  _ Not like this, I will not die like this. _

"Take me!" Muriel yelled struggling beside her.

"No." Hissing Rhena glared at Valdemar, feeling the fabric give a little more.

"We’re trapped, Rhena. Better me than you." 

"No." She hoped they didn’t hear the ripping of cloth. So close. "You lay a finger on him." She snarled. 

"Oh, you silly thing." She leaned close to Muriel, examining him with a pleased look. "You don't get to choose."

She pulled her mask down, razor sharp teeth grinning at Rhena. The bones dug deeper, a gasp ripping through her throat. She felt blood trickling down her skin. It was fire hot against the cold, and there was no way to reach her knife now. "This one will do!"

"No!" She had never heard Muriel so angry but a part of her was vaguely grateful for it as Valdemar stared at her like she was some kind of specimen she longed to put in a jar.   


"I don't appreciate being bossed around like this you know." Lucio cut in. 

Valdemar cast him a look. "Seize this heart and our debt will be settled." She gave a dismissive huff. "Then you can go back to your quaint ambitions."

He grumbled but rolled up his sleeve and headed towards Rhena. "Listen, Rhena, it's nothing personal. Besides." He added with a touch of a smile. "You owe me, don't you?" 

She spat, still hissing as she fought anything to get away, not caring how bad it hurt. "I don't owe you shit.'

Muriel almost broke free, bones shattered and cracked around him but more reached up pulling him back down. With every struggle of her own, the bones dug deeper, pain glazing her vision. Her heart thudded against her chest, hammering against her ribs as the bones snaked higher, tangling in her hair and yanking back her head. Then time slowed, agonizing and blurred with every beat of her heart pulsing through her body, every breath hurting with how tightly she was held. She could hear Morga, screaming obscenities. "I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN, MONTAG" Lucio stepped closer and pulled his hand back ready to strike.

Rhena felt tears forming along her lashes and couldn’t get the words out her throat, couldn’t see him, tell him.  _ I’m sorry, Muriel, I’m sorry. _


	26. Chapter 26

Rhena prayed her eyes deceived her. That Khamgalai wasn't standing in front of her. "No, no, no." She heard herself near babbling, her body trying to fall limp in the bones’ embrace. 

A hacking cough left Khamgalai, blood trickling down her chin. Valdemar looked delighted. "Oh, you have surprised me! And it is so very rare I get to be surprised." 

"You won't take them." Khamgalai said slowly, her voice heavy. She looked back at Rhena, calm in her choice and nodded once.

Lucio spluttered. "What do I do?"

"A heart so full of love and sorrow." Valdemar inhaled like she was smelling the finest blossoms. "Take it." 

Lucio hesitated and Khamgalai laughed, her gaze turning to him and furious. "You will never win." Lucio snarled, jerking back with a twist. At the final moment, her eyes found Muriel's. "Don't weep for me. It's your story now." The last word was punctuated with the sound of cracking bones, Lucio's hand emerged from her chest, holding her glowing, still beating heart.

Muriel dropped in his prison, the fight leaving him, a wounded sound falling from his lips. When Lucio lifted his head to stare at Rhena, his eyes had changed to pitch black pools. She hurt too badly, mind reeling too fast to be scared. He bared his teeth at Valdemar as she approached. "Now, now." She chided. "The deal is done." She plucked the heart from his grasp.

"Pathetic." Morga spat. "The power you so crave has corrupted you." 

"Corrupted me?" He straightened to his full height, towering above them. "I've never felt better." He stalked towards her, claws out and snarling.

"Tsk tsk. Don't you have better things to do?" Valdemar reminded him. "The forest awaits." 

He sighed. "Fine. The final act awaits."

"MONTAG!" Morga shrieked. "You do not walk away from me, coward." 

"Sorry, mother. But my plans can't wait. If you want your revenge." He leaned close, smiling down at her. "You'll have to meet me there. I'll be waiting." Valdemar and Lucio walked away, the bones holding until they disappeared from sight.

Muriel immediately knelt, bent over Khamgalai's body. Rhena didn’t move from her knees. Tears streamed furiously down her cheeks, unable to make a sound, not even to comfort him. She just stared at Khamgalai, seeing it over and over and unable to do a damned thing.


	27. Chapter 27

Morga's spear slammed into the ground, knocking Rhena from her waking nightmare and answering a question she didn't know she asked. "It's our generation's job to protect you. To protect the future." 

Muriel turned on her, furious. "You're the reason this graveyard exists!" Rhena blinked several times, the world going foggy again. "Was that protecting the future?" 

"She told you then."

Rhena nodded, her voice tired and miles away from her body. "She told us your tribe destroyed the Kokhuri."

"Yes. And I lost my own tribe in the process." She looked in the direction Lucio went. "He's getting away, we need to-." 

"No." Muriel's voice held an edge. "Not until you tell us why." 

"What does it matter? Will that change what happened? Will it bring any of them back? Change the future?"

"This was Khamgalai's life. She deserves the answer."

Morga took a deep breath that trailed into a long tired sigh but told them the story of her people. As she finished she looked down at Khamgalai, pain in her eyes. "Someone had to die. I made a choice, so did she." 

Silence settled for a moment. Rhena understood. Her mother, if given no other choice between her clan starving and killing another.  _ She wouldn't think twice. Not if no other road was open.  _ It was not the most comforting of thoughts, and she had no plan to examine what her own actions would be if handed that same choice. She was not sure she would like the answer at all.   


"Get out."

"Muriel-." Rhena's heart would have hurt at the softness in Morga's eyes, if her heart hadn't been replaced with a dull ache in her chest. 

"No. You don't get to use her death to justify what you have done. You don't get to- get out of my sight." 

The fire returned to Morga. "This is petty! Montag is still out there, you foolish boy. Will you let him go because of your feelings?"

"Morga!" Rhena's voice was harsher than she intended. Muriel had turned away, eyes closing. But Rhena met hers and whatever Morga saw she nodded and walked away. 

She turned one last time. "He's headed to my homeland. Where I defeated him once before. I let him live. This time I will not make that mistake." She glanced at Muriel and Khamgalai, a flicker of something returning for a moment. "Call for Jaeger if you still have fight in you." Rhena nodded, head swimming. Morga left, disappearing over the horizon.

Rhena's head managed to spin faster. So much and it wasn't even noon. She didn't feel the cold wind that swept over them. Inanna nudged her and whined. "Mmm kay Nana..." she slurred before she slumped sideways to the ground. 

When she came to, green eyes were staring down at her anxiously. "Rhena?" She barely nodded before Muriel had her in a tight hug. 

She wrapped her arms around him in return and ignored the sharp shooting pain as she moved them. "I'm okay, Muriel, I'm okay." 

He nodded, the movement pulled free the last of her hair and it blew around them. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, and didn't particularly care. She was warm and safe and alive, if only for the moment. He let her go a little, shaking his head his breath catching. His fingers were gentle on her arms "Can you heal those?" She nodded. He got to his feet and picked up Khamgalai. She looked so small with her light gone. "We can't leave her like this. We have to-." He shook his head and swallowed hard. "A funeral or something I don't-." 

Rhena stood on shaky legs, Inanna braced up against her. "We’ll take her to the hut for now. And we’ll think of something." Her own breath caught in her throat, sorrow overshadowing her pain. He nodded and led the way, glancing back to make sure she followed. 


	28. Chapter 28

Inanna joined them at the freshly made grave and deposited a mouthful of forget me nots. Rhena had watched silently while he worked, healing the damage of the bones one by one under Inanna's watchful eyes. She didn't care that they scarred, the work jagged and lacking, the blood was stopped and the pain bearable and that was what mattered. The ones on her arms were simpler but the ones on her back were another story. When she found bones tangled in her hair, her stomach tried to come up her throat. Rhena stepped away with a quiet word and went back to the hut. She tried to get them out but they were wound tight through the bottom half. She divided it in two as well as she could, wondering how it had managed to get so much longer since they left Vesuvia and pulled her knife. She took a deep breath and sheared it off, it was still past her shoulders, but her head was the lightest she’d felt in years. She tossed the handfuls of hair into the fire and watched them burn before pulling her shirt over her head to heal the cuts and gouges that ran up her back. She eventually returned to Muriel’s side, letting her hair fall around her carefully when her attempt to braid it was met with a whimper of pain. 

The night sky glittered above them by that time, the lights twisting and turning, the colors chased each other above the field of stone and soft blue flowers. _ It has no right to be so beautiful.  _ Inanna's tail smacked her. 

Muriel turned to head back to the hut. "Wait." She said softly. She flushed a little as she stared at the ground. "Would, would you mind if I did something?" He shook his head and watched her. Rhena stepped back, turning slowly. She pulled the leather cord from her neck, and unstrung the medallion from beside Muriel's charm. She slipped it back over her head and took the medallion in both hands. The myrrh within was a powerful protector, but it was also called the tears of grief. She understood it better now. It was also a tree that loved sunshine above all else, bringing warmth and peace wherever it grew.

She closed her eyes letting her mind drift as she listened. The wind rustled softly but the sky did not. The stars sang as they danced and she cupped her hands to her mouth and blew softly across the medallion. It scattered in a million pieces, no more than dust that swirled up and around the stones of the hill as she opened her eyes. The wind caught them as they began to glow. They scattered across the graveyard, little shining lights bobbing gently like fireflies. 

A handful settled on the stones before them, crowning the graves of his parents and surrounding Khamgalai's. Rhena reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go. "The light will always shine for them." Muriel led the way back to the hut, Inanna bumping into Rhena's hand until she tangled her fingers in the wolf's fur.  _ He needs you more than I do, Inanna. _


	29. Chapter 29

Muriel sat on the floor of the hut, knees pulled to his chest and Rhena's head on his shoulder. "Do you really mean that?" She asked softly.

"I don’t know. No. I don’t mean it." He glanced at her. "It was easier, when I didn't know what I was missing. I was surviving. But I don't think I was living. I might as well have been a ghost. You came along and dragged me out of that. I know it wasn't easy. I didn't make it easy." She smiled a little, half hidden by his shoulder. He turned to look at her. "So why did you?"

Rhena was quiet long enough he wondered if she had fallen asleep. She spoke softly. "Because you deserve to live."

"That's what Khamgalai told us." He nodded having reached a decision. "She said not to cry. She said it's my story now." He squeezed her hand. She didn't know when their fingers had tangled together but she didn't mind. "You, will you help me tell it?" 

"Even if the stars fall, Muriel." She turned her head, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. "And ever after." 

Rhena woke in the hut, warm and safe and a far cry from the nightmares that had plagued her until she realized Muriel wasn't beside her. She sat up, heart pounding as the images from her dreams flashed through her mind. Inanna woofed softly cocking her head towards the door and Rhena took a deep breath. She laced on her boots and quietly stepped out to join him. He looked up at her and nodded. "Morning." 

She settled on the step beside him, nuzzling her cheek against him before she settled her elbows against her knees. He had been awake still when she fell asleep, half on him and she woke up long enough to realize he carried her to bed. She smiled a little at the memory of that soft kiss against her forehead. "Did you sleep, Muriel?"

"Enough." 

"Mmhmm."

He sighed, not surprised by her disbelieving tone. "I couldn't sleep. Didn't want to wake you, so I went outside." 

She reached up, brushed a stray leaf from his hair. His nose wrinkled but he didn't pull away. "Are you okay?" She flustered. "I know that's silly to ask and -." She stopped babbling when she saw the look on his face. He looked so genuinely confused. 

"Not really. I don't know. I am and I’m not." He shrugged looking deep in thought. "I'm working on it. Feels like i lost something i never really had. I shouldn't be upset about it." 

She hummed softly, fingers gently tangling with his. He tensed but then leaned in to her touch, her head leaning gently against him. "But you are upset." She murmured. "And you can be upset."

They lapsed into silence only to be startled by clucking, loud clucking. Muriel pulled her to her feet and they went to the back of the hut. A whole little farm stared back at them. A pair of horses, sheep, and a whole mess of chickens searched for feed. "She kept animals. I didn’t. I didn’t see them yesterday. They look hungry." His eyes closed, pain creasing his face. "I guess no one was there to give them their dinner." He gently extended his hand into the pen and the sheep trotted over and promptly licked him. "Should free them. Before we go." 

"Want some help?" Rhena was near vibrating with excitement at the prospect.   


"I could handle it myself." His cheeks pinked a little. "But I guess you can. If you want."

She didn't need to be told twice. Rhena pushed open the gate already petting the sheep. As soon as the gate closed, an army of chickens approached to clamber about them. Muriel leaned down to greet them, surprise on his face. They were the fluffiest chickens Rhena had ever seen. They were  _ glorious. _

"Never seen any this feathery." He reached down to pick one up, shock flashing across his face. "It's so soft." He held it out Rhena and she took it gently. The chicken happily snuggled up in her arms.

Rhena felt ready to burst. It was like holding a cloud, a soft clucking wonderful cloud. She gathered it a little closer. "I'm Rhena, what's your name?" The chicken clucked softly and further snuggled itself into her arms. 

Muriel looked rather bemused. "They can’t talk. You. You know they can't talk right?"

She tsked. "Miss Feathers begs to differ." Rhena grinned at the look on his face, managing to look both embarrassed with a tiny spark of happiness. "What?" She cocked her head, the chicken in her arms doing the same making him shake his head thumb catching on his lip as he watched her go back to cooing at Miss Feathers.

"..I talk to my chickens too." He huffed as she looked dangerously close to squeaking about adorableness. "Stop that. They lived there before me. We are more neighbors." 

"I never asked their names." She said a little forlornly. Sweet Pea probably knew. Her chest ached a little, she did miss him but not as much as she thought he would. She had expected an emptiness, a void but it never came.  _ Not even after yesterday, I wonder why. _

"There's Bawkbawk. Cluckie. Bawkcluck." 

"They sound like good names."

"I asked, that's what they told me." He flustered. "It's not like chickens have a lot of vocal range." His ears turned red at her smile. "Come on, we have work to do." 

With great reluctance, Rhena set down Miss Feathers. They found the feed bags and spread them out across the pen. And left the gate open behind them so they could leave when the food ran out. "Will they be okay? Rhena asked her voice full of worry.

Muriel nodded. "They look like they are native to the Steppe. They should be fine out here." He paused, eyeing the horses. "Well, maybe them we can take with us. It'll be faster than walking." 

He plucked two apples from the bag and slowly approached them. They eyed him warily as he offered them. He waited patiently until they approached him. They were all too happy to munch while he scratched around their ears. A smile appeared on his face and warmed Rhena's heart. She wasn't sure after yesterday if he would truly smile ever again. So much had happened since they set foot there. 

She wandered over to them, and reached out very cautiously. The one snuffled her hand before ruffling her hair and tried to steal the scrap of fabric she had tied her hair back with. "Hey you. I need that." The horse whinnied softly and she pressed her forehead to its velvet nose. "We need to pack still." Muriel nodded and they led the horses to the hut and tied them to the hitching post outside the door.

Rhena looked around them. There was so much and leaving it all felt wrong. He grabbed the tack for the horses, just more sturdy reins and blankets, and headed back out. She stared at the piles of tapestries. For all her jokes, her bag wasn't actually bottomless and it was almost full. She eyed Muriel's and moved some things around. She folded them carefully and packed up what she could.

When he returned, he paused seeing the corner of one half escaped from the bag. "You're taking her tapestries?"

“Only a few.” She turned to him, hand rubbing the back of her neck. "It feels so wrong to just leave them, after all she did. If we can't come back, or if something happens.” She trailed off. “I wanted us to keep some safe."

He stared at her a moment, a thousand emotions going across his face faster then she could read them. It ended on a soft look. "Yeah." He took a deep breath. "Just one more thing to do." 

They reached the top of the hill. In the night, Muriel had finished the stone. Khamgalai smiled back at them, surrounded by animals from her tapestries. All of the Kokhuri held her up and danced around her. Some of the lights she had made were already settling on the stone, like softly beating hearts within each one of them. "It's beautiful." 

He was quiet for a moment more. "Lets go."


	30. Chapter 30

The frozen forest Jaeger led them to was colder than Rhena had thought possible. She shivered under her cloak even with the extra layers of clothes she wore. Every pair of socks she had were on her feet. She thought of the Clouded Mountains and how the only snow was at their peaks, the forest barely got to freezing a few days a year. _As is proper._ She scowled out of her hood at it even as Inanna happily bounded and snapped up falling flakes. Muriel settled beside her on the log with a brooding look she knew well. "What’s next?"

He didn't have to explain. They were finally at the point on their journey, Lucio. It was almost done. Her teeth chattered before letting out the whiniest, most desperate sound he had ever heard her make. "I want a nap. In a bed."

Muriel stared at her a moment and then laughed a little. "Yeah. That sounds nice. A week in the hut just napping." The smile slipped from his face. "Where are you going to go after we are done?" 

She blinked at him. "Home? The shop, I mean. Not the Clouded Mountains." She made a face. "I am not going anywhere ever again at this point." 

"This is the last time we will spend together." Her mouth fell open and he shifted uneasily, looking away from her.

"Muriel? I." She tripped over her words. "Muriel, I am not going back to Vesuvia and forgetting you." 

"You won't?" 

She desperately wanted to knock him into a snow drift. "I will set up a tent outside the hut if I have to, just to prove you are stuck with me. Besides." She said a little tartly. " We still need our first date."

His eyes widened and he choked on his words as he turned cherry red. "First da-!" He spluttered and ducked behind the fur of his cloak. 

Rhena was glad he did because her grin was uncontainable. "Unless you don't want to, of course." 

"I." His words jumbled and squeaky. "Sure. We can.. go . On a ada." He coughed, Rhena wondered if she was going to break her own ribs trying not to laugh at seeing him so flustered. He couldn't even say the word and she kept her opinion of him being adorable to herself. She patted his arm and spoke to Inanna, giving him a break.

Darkness fell. Jaeger was a huge bird but they were struggling to see him and let out a breath of relief when he stopped at a cave entrance. Muriel set about building the fire while Inanna explored the cave. Rhena stared up at Jaeger. "Let me pet you." He ruffled his feathers and stepped further out of reach. Inanna returned with a bark.

"She says there's no other animals." Rhena nodded and set to cautiously helping him with the fire. She was useless with fire magic and would have given an arm to have Sol with them. She chuckled a bit at the thought. Soon they had a good blaze going but Rhena still shivered, not getting very close to it. 

Snow spiraled down lazily. "Hope there's no storm brewing." 

She nodded, hugging herself closer together. But even the cold couldn’t distract her from her thoughts. The past few weeks, the last several days chased themselves around her head, the feeling of helplessness and fear screeching as a constant background. The same nightmares the past few nights, looking up to see Lucio's fist buried in Muriel's chest. And Lucio's voice, that she owed him. He sounded so sure. _Useless little magician._ She jumped when Muriel put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asked, worry filling his voice and face. 

The nightmare flashed in her mind again. She shook her head, arms tightening around her knees. "Lucio told me I owed him. I. I don't know him, wouldn't have known him. It doesn't make sense." 

"Nothing he says makes sense." Muriel scowled. "He's an ass." 

"True." She huffed. "It felt. I don’t know. He seemed so certain."

Muriel sighed, eyes closing. He nodded to himself and looked at her. “You don't owe him. It was never his to begin with." She stared at him, head tilting to the side in confusion. Muriel muttered something that sounded like "Asra" and several colorful adjectives before meeting her eyes again. "How much do you remember, from when you woke up three years ago?"

"Ugh." She remembered some from right after she woke up. Twisted dreams, Asra’s face. Myrrh and chains, the shop. Others were too strange to contemplate for long without making her head hurt. "Flashes. Images, smells from right after I woke up.." 

He was quiet for a moment. "Do you remember me?" 

She chewed the inside of her lip as she stared at the fire. "Like a dream." She flushed at her wistful tone. "I um. Just my imagination." Realization hit her, as she stared at him owlishly. "Wait, you _were_ there?"

He nodded. "And I was there when Asra brought you back to life." 

Rhena's entire world turned over. Her thoughts stopped, dropped out of her. "No."

"Four years ago, you died." 

“No.” She laughed nervously, bordering on hysterical. "You can't bring back the dead. No." 

She wasn't aware she stopped talking, her thoughts chasing each other in unending screams, until Muriel kneeled in front of her, his hands on both her shoulders, remorse and worry on his face. "I shouldn't have said anything. You're upset." 

She shook her head, nodded and looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "What happened?"

"Do you really want to know?" He asked her quietly.

Did she? Could she, could she accept that Asra and _Sweets,_ her mind hissed, had lied to her. Over and over even if solely by omission, dying was a hell of a lot more severe than having a never specified illness. Muriel's hands were still steady on her shoulders and her frantic heart slowed. "I do." A less hysterical giggle left her. "Unless you can untell me I died?" 

He sighed but settled cross legged beside her and watched her carefully. "It was a spell. I don't know the details. Just that he found a way." He stared into the fire a moment. "No point in hiding it. You died of plague. I think you were trying to help cure it when you caught it." She nodded. That at least made sense, sort of, but there were jobs other than healer when it came to such things. "Asra, after it happened. He was frantic. I've never seen him that upset. He changed." 

"How?" Her heart thudded. It explained a good many things about him.

"He started talking about deals and demons and Arcana. I tried to warn him but." He shook his head, frowning. "He wasn't going to rest until he brought you back. Or died trying." Rhena's hands started to shake, she wrapped them tight around her knees again, "He thought he'd find answers at the palace and I guess he did. He found Lucio." Anger flashed across his face. "There was this half baked ritual. Lucio wanted to use it to give himself a brand new body. And Asra." He stared at the ground and spoke quietly. "He wanted to use it to bring you back." She stared down at her body, rather horrified. "The only problem is he dragged the rest of us into it too. All under the guise of Lucio's ritual." 

She chewed her lip again, tasting blood. She shook her head at the thought that danced through her mind. It was her body, thank you. She looked nothing like an evil goat. "What was the ritual?"

"I don't know the details. I just know everyone who participated would have a price to pay. A deal to make."

"With demons? No.” She shook her head, demons didn’t have that kind of power that she knew of. “No. The Arcana." 

He nodded. "It summoned us to their realms." 

She cast a glance at her bag, knowing the cards rested within. Her deck, and Asra's, the deck he made and let her use when her Nana's deck wouldn't speak to her. His called loudest to her still and she couldn't help but wonder if that was why. "And Asra made a deal."

"We all did. Lucio. Nadia. Asra. Julian." He paused. "Me." 

"What did you ask for?" She asked quietly, but she thought she knew the answer.

"The ability to hide. To be forgotten." 

She nodded, that made sense. "And what did you give up?"

He flushed a little. "My fear. At the time I thought it was an easy trade. I didn't want my fear." 

She cocked her head again as she studied him. "Now?"

The red deepened. "I'm not sure it was a good trade at all." 

She was quiet for a long moment, fitting the puzzle together as best she could. "So Lucio."

"The deal was meant to save him, to cure his plague. Asra used it to get you back instead. I guess Lucio didn't take that too well." 

"I bet not." When she laughed a little, relief washed through him. "Why didn’t they tell me? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked." 

"True." She flicked a twig into the fire, her mind swirling again but it was better in some ways.

"It doesn't matter anyways. You died. But you are here. And you're." Rhena froze. "I like that you're here. Who you are now is f-fine. So." 

She smiled, more at the fire than him. "I like being here too." 

They sat quietly, as she mulled it all over. "Don't let Lucio get to your head. That's how he wins." He continued adamantly. "You're better than him. And you don't owe him anything." He patted her arm awkwardly.

He still started when she spoke, Lucio’s words still echoing in her head, mocking. _Useless little magician._ Her mouth opened and closed a few times. "But I remember my past life?” She shook her head with a grimace. “Oh, that's weird." 

He shrugged. "Asra said someone appeared while he made the deal. Said she could let you keep everything from before and mentioned the sun would watch you now instead of the moon."

She chewed her lip, brow furrowed. "In exchange for what though?" 

He was quiet for a long moment. "You were a healer before." She glanced his way and he knew she was thinking of his side. He shrugged. "Just an idea, maybe she just wanted some of your memories." 

She reached over to her bag and pulled out Asra's deck. She shuffled it carefully as Muriel watched. It was the first he had seen her use them. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She pulled a card, and when she opened her eyes, she saw she had two. "The Moon first, then the Sun.” She said quietly, chewing her lip.

"What does that mean?" 

She pondered a moment before speaking slowly. "The Moon, she makes illusions that obscure the truth in the darkness forcing you to trust your intuition. The Sun..." She closed her eyes again trying to remember the words from Asra’s book, only for them to shine so brightly in her mind she could still see them when she opened them. Muriel stayed perfectly still, her eyes were glowing, like the sun just after dawn as she stared into the fire. Her voice was soft. "The Sun shines brightly, illuminating the path thought lost in the dark. A bringer of hope that says the storm will end." Her eyes fluttered shut again, thinking hard. But when she opened them, her eyes were back to their bright green without a hint of scorching light and she smiled at him. "That's not so bad really. I like the sunshine better than the dark anyway.” He nodded, laughter catching in his throat at how pleased she looked as she played with the cards. "Whaaat?" She asked, dragging it out.

"You trust them that much?" 

She shuffled them again, and staring at him, pulled the moon and then the sun again. She held them up between her fingers with arched brows. "I have a feeling I could do this all day and get the same answer." Her mouth settled into a thin line. "That's not how that's supposed to work though, you're right. Answering something clearly is not like them. I’ll pester Asra about it when we get back. It is his deck." She grumbled the last bit. "Since mine is so damn rude." 

She continued to shuffle them quietly half staring into the fire. _I wish they could tell me what's waiting for us._ Absentmindedly she pulled another card, freezing when she saw it was the Death. "Don't be silly, it's never exactly that." She mumbled to herself.

"Hm?"

She shook her head. "Just thinking about what that means." She grinned and spread the cards offering them to him. "Pick one." He scoffed. "Please? I could use the practice." 

He sighed but reached out and pulled one. His eyes widened, flushing to his ears, staring at the card and then at her a few times. Rhena stared at him, head cocked to the side. He half threw it back at her and pulled his cloak up. Still smiling bemusedly, she looked at the card. And blinked several times. "Oh." She coughed and stacked the cards back together, leaving that one on top and stuffed them back into the bag.

They sat in awkward silence for a while before she spoke again. "One more question?" He nodded warily. "Was I different? Taller?" She suggested hopefully. 

He snorted. "No." He thought for a moment. "Quiet. Afraid of the dark. Asra worried about that often." He smiled a little ruefully, as her hand crept up to rub the scars on her neck. "I don't think you made jewelry. Your magic was different, colder. You didn't visit the forest." The disgusted noise she made at that made him smile. 

The snow picked up; the wind howled past the cave. Inanna scooted closer to Muriel and the fire and even he shivered. Rhena hugged her knees tighter, dubiously eyeing the fire and moved a little closer to it. Jaeger joined them and settled on Inanna. Rhena shivered; certain her teeth were going to break in her head. "You look cold."

Mischief twinkled in her eyes. "Warm me up?" She extended a hand to him, her smile widening as he turned redder with each passing second. 

"You." His gaze went from Rhena to the fire to Inanna and back. 

Rhena laughed quietly in her throat but let her hand drop, pulling it back tight against her knees and tucking her chin against them. "I'm just teasing. It’s okay." 

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his cloak and against his chest. Rhena felt her ears burn but the warmth was so nice. Much nicer than the cold wind. And everything she had experienced in her two lives. _Weird._ She snuggled closer and settled more comfortably in his lap, eyes closing with a happy hum.

A sound almost like a laugh ruffled her hair and he settled his chin near her ear, the breath of his voice warming along it. "Better?"

She shivered for an altogether different reason, her smile aching. The storm outside fell away, the steady beat of his heart surrounding her. "Mmhmm."

He turned his head a little, nose grazing her neck, his smile soft against her skin. His heartbeat picked up and he pulled back, cheeks bright red. "Well. Good." He tripped over his words. "They'd be furious if I let you freeze to death." 

She tilted her head to look at him, eyes narrowed playfully. "They?"

"Everyone back at the palace." He looked away but his arms were still tight around her. "Anyway." He shook his head and fell silent.

She settled her head back against his chest again and watched the snow pile up outside the cave. It was like they were the last people left, but it wasn't lonely. After a while she spoke softly. "I wonder if we'll make it back for the Masquerade." 

She could hear his furrowed brows when he spoke. "Why. Do you want to go?"

She thought for a moment. She had dreamed of going the past 3 years, everyone seemed so fond of them, some especially fond of Lucio dying at the last one and she appreciated their sentiment better now. She nodded. "Do you?"

"I don't have anything to wear." He took a deep breath and she smiled her fingers absentmindedly making designs on his arm. "Its lot of people. But. If you went. I guess. I wouldn't mind going with you." He added. "Maybe."

He heard her giggle before she moved to look at him thoughtfully. "I'd like to see you in a suit." 

He flushed. "Why are we still talking about this?" Still laughing softly, she settled back against his chest. He half mumbled. "Suits don't come in my size." 

She hummed. "I know some people. And." She added. "If I know Nadia, she has something planned and will be absolutely delighted for the opportunity to put it in motion.”

He grumbled, tucking his chin against her shoulder again to mumble against her skin. "If you want me to wear one. I guess." It was an entirely pleasant image in her head, swoon worthy she decided. "But just for The Masquerade. And then I'm burning it. Or donating it." 

"Well." She tried to hold in her laugh. "Just don't take it off at the Masquerade." She failed, quietly laughing. "Or do. That could be fun." 

"Whatever." He spluttered.

A whine spared him any more of her teasing as Inanna tried to wiggle in with them. Jaeger was staring at them forlornly too. "You have fur. And feathers!" Muriel reminded them indignantly.

Neither one of them cared and wiggled in them under the cloak. Rhena tried to move, halfway out of his arms only for them to drape across both their laps. Rhena took her chance to pet Jaeger, he ruffled his feathers but stayed put. "Looks like we are trapped." Muriel said quietly as he pulled her closer again.

Rhena matched his smile as she brushed a kiss against his cheek before settling against him again. A little laugh left her; her voice soft when she spoke. "And nowhere else I'd rather be." 


	31. Chapter 31

After making the net and practicing the illusion a few more times, Rhena joined Muriel on a fallen log. She was worried about Morga, she could tell the older woman was tired. And that guilt was heavy on her shoulders. _Unlike that awful son of hers._

"It's been so long since I've been in a real fight." Muriel fretted. "What if I’m rusty? What if I freeze? What if I can't protect you?" She took his hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. He stared down at them, fear jagged and dark in his eyes.

She nudged his shin with her foot. "I’ve been training too. We’ll protect each other." 

"Lucio has years on you. Years on me, even." He sighed. "We’re not ready. We’re going to lose." 

His eyes darted every which way, near shaking with energy. She had felt some of it when he shared his magic with her. And felt her own beating with her pulse. She dropped his hands and half bounced away. "Let’s spar." 

He stared at her blankly for a long moment. "What?"

She dropped her cloak before she rolled her neck and shoulders, warmed up her cold muscles. "Well, if you are worried you are rusty, and you promised to help me more with hand to hand combat, then why not?" 

He watched her warily but got to his feet. "Shouldn't we just. Wait?" 

She shook her head and gave him a winning smile as she settled into a stance Morga had taught her. She was better than when they started but the bar had been abysmally low. At least now they had to actually try to get her. She stared at him and waited. 

He dropped his cloak and settled into a stance, his breath clouding the air. She felt a trill as her eyes roved his bare chest. When she beckoned him forward with a finger and a small smile formed on his face. "You. I don't know if I'll ever stop being surprised." 

She grinned. "I hope that's a good thing."

"Yeah. It is." 

He moved, deliberately giving her the largest time to react and she ducked it easily, dancing out of reach. But soon it was measure for measure, as they played off each other. He went slower with the ones she still struggled with or avoided them completely. She grumbled a little at that, but she wasn't exactly built to launch someone his size over her shoulder. But she was determined to figure it out eventually. Before long they were both grinning, the happiest she had ever seen him in their training. No fear, no hesitation with every move he made, his smile widening when she would actually dance out of reach after landing a tap.

Rhena saw the opening and took it, ducking under his arm and kissing his cheek. He froze, blinking as he brought a hand to his cheek. She placed her hand flat against his chest that was heaving as much as hers as she grinned. "I win." 

He looked down at her hand and stared for a moment before shaking his head with a huff of laughter. "You cheated." 

"Did not." She grinned up at him as he straightened. "No rules about." She paused a moment. "Unconventional tactics." 

"I don't think Lucio is going to try that one in a fight." Rhena's face scrunched into such a horrified look of disgust that he started laughing, his shoulders shook as his head went back and set her laughing too. Still smiling he reached out, fingers brushed against her cheek as he tucked escaped hair behind her ear. "Besides. You missed." 

Rhena spluttered this time. "You were moving." 

His thumb trailed down her chin, eyes warm as he moved closer. "Can I?" She nodded his thumb catching slightly on her bottom lip. He leaned down, his lips barely against hers, when Jaeger screamed above them.

"Uggggh." Rhena groaned, stepping back reluctantly, and grabbing their cloaks. "He never stops being a pain in the ass." She handed it to him but didn't let go for a moment as she gazed up at him, eyes growing warm as she caught her lip with her teeth. "Later? After we win." 

He flushed as he tugged his cloak back on. "After we win."


	32. Chapter 32

Rhena fell to her knees barely recognizing the little lake they had stopped at before. Her mind was fixed on the moment Morga told them to run. The relief in her eyes as they turned and ran. The sick crack and knowing what it meant. Lucio's voice followed them, telling them they couldn't hide as Muriel half tossed her onto her horse and she scrambled to get her reins. She pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes, trying to stop the tears and sounds she hadn’t realized she was making. 

Muriel slumped down beside her. All he could say was "I’m sorry" before falling against her shaking. "I'm sorry." he said again, voice choking until it was a litany. 

Rhena couldn't find words, just shaky breaths, tears still falling as she wrapped her arms around him, his face buried against her chest. He was still saying it over and over and it hurt in ways worse than watching Morga die. She took a stuttering breath, her tears finally easing just a little. "You have nothing to be sorry for." She held him tighter, not realizing she was rocking them back and forth. He didn't protest, just tightened his fingers against her back. Her heart ached so much that the pain didn’t register when he caught one of the still healing wounds. Inanna came over to them, blocking the wind and resting her head against them. Rhena's voice choked and cracked. "Nothing to be sorry for." 

Time passed and she didn't know or care how much when Muriel straightened and wiped his eyes. "We can’t let him win. We can't… We have to stop him." 

Her tears started again, and she shook her head. "I." Her whole body shuddered. Muriel wrapped his arms around her now, her forehead pressed to his chest. She calmed a bit, but he could barely hear her. "I don't want anyone else to die." He nodded and she sat up still shaking her head. "No." She took a deep breath, but her voice still came out ragged and choking. "Too many times my dreams have shown me you. I see you, his hand in your chest as he laughs and there's nothing I can do." She shuddered. "I promised we'd take care of each other. But I don't know how, Muriel. Not anymore." Her red puffy eyes met his and her voice dropped to a whisper. "I’m afraid of losing you too." She curled in on herself, pulling away from him. "I’m afraid." He didn't let her pull away, holding her tight enough he could have sworn he felt her heart beating. "I’m sorry I'm afraid."

"I am too." Her hood had fallen at some point, her hair falling free and he ran his hand through it over and over, wondering offhandedly when she cut her hair, until she finally calmed. "Do you want to run?" He asked, knowing her answer.

A huff of laughter came from his chest. "Using my own words on me now?" She sighed. "No." She sniffed. "I want. I want him to lose. I, I don't want this story to be over. I want to see the heart of the wood return." She moved enough so she could look at him, her smile felt silly to her. "I want that date and every good thing we deserve just for being here and alive." She nodded, chewing her lip. "I want to live." 

"Then we will."

"I almost believe you when you say it." Her laugh was shaky, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. After several long moments they were able to calm their hearts and breathing, tears drying on their cold cheeks. She sighed, bones and heart aching. "We have to get back to Vesuvia and find some way to warn them before." 

He stood with a nod. "Sending a message could be intercepted." 

“And not any faster than we are.” She thought a moment before she perked up and got to her feet. "I could call Asra with the water."

"You think you can reach him?"

She nodded, studying the pond. "Yes." She knelt at the edge, using her dagger to chop a hole in the ice and focused on Asra. His magic had always been familiar to her, like a second skin. For a long panicked moment, she felt nothing but then there was a glimmer and she latched following it to the end and Asra's face appeared in the water. Asra and Julian were arguing about breaking and entering. The little fissure of irritation warmed her cold hands, as she imagined wringing Julian’s neck. "Asra? Tell Julian to stay the fuck out of my shop." His head whipped around searching for her voice.

"Rhena?!"

"Er, is your tea angry at me?” She heard Julian ask but his question finally made Asra look down and he broke into a grin.

"Rhena, did you call through the water? That's amazing!" 

She shook her head, and everything poured out at once, Morga and Lucio and Khamgalai. When she finished, she felt a little better, the reminder that she and Muriel had people standing with them. They weren’t alone.

Asra looked serious. "And Muriel? Is he?"

"I'm fine." He leaned over her shoulder and Asra looked relieved.

"Good. That’s, as long as you two are still alive, we haven’t lost." He thought for a moment. "You said he's coming to Vesuvia?" She nodded.

"Well, that doesn't sound good." Came Julian’s voice from beyond the water’s edge.

Asra sent a very exasperated look towards him. "No, Ilya, it's not good. Still, at least we know. Even if we have no idea what he's planning, we can still prepare." He smiled up at them. "For now, you two just focus on coming home safe alright? We will handle things here." 

"Be safe, Asra." Muriel said.

"You too, Muriel. I'll see you both soon." 

She let the magic fade into no more than ripples. She felt better now, knowing they warned them. Knowing it wasn't so hopeless, _useless_ as the voice in her head said it was. "We need to get back." Came Muriel's voice from above her. 

She nodded letting him pull her to her feet. "Let's go home."


	33. Chapter 33

"I'd love a bath." It was Rhena that hugged Nadia this time. "You are the best." Muriel let out a little huff but didn’t argue.

Nadia returned the hug before holding Rhena by her shoulders. "Please, take this time to recover. We will see you tomorrow." She gave them both a fond smile before summoning a servant to lead the way. 

Asra spoke up, eyes glittering. "There's a surprise in your room, Rhena." She nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts filled with soap. 

There were far more patrols then normal as they went through the winding hallways and Rhena found herself sighing in relief when the chattering servant finally left them. She pushed open the door and stepped back into the most luxurious room she had ever seen. The marble tub inset into the floor was big enough to lose yourself in. But no dividers, not that Muriel seemed to notice. He stared at Rhena with worry in his eyes. She cocked her head and asked softly. "Is everything alright? You're staring."

He coughed, flushing a bit. "What if I look away and something happens to you?" 

She considered him a moment, unsure if she could reassure him when she felt the same way. "We can share. If you want." 

His eyes widened and he took a few steps back, hands rising. 'I, I mean I don't want to make you uncomfortable." 

She reached out her hand placing it gently on his arm and he swallowed hard. "Far from. It's your choice, Muriel." 

He didn't move, frozen to the spot for a long moment before he slowly nodded. "Sorry, I, yes." 

Rhena's hand trailed down his arm to take his hand before tugging him into the room with a smile. "You don't have to apologize. You're allowed to want things." 

They undressed, Rhena turned when she realized steam was about ready to come out his red ears and quickly grabbed the robe that was left out. He didn't speak until she was testing the water. "Am I?" She looked at him quizzically. He sat on the edge, looking small and forlorn amidst the marble. "Allowed to want things?" The tips of his ears were a little pink.

She settled next to him, giving his shoulder a bump and he smiled despite himself. "Of course." 

"It's just historically that hasn't." She waited as he took a deep breath. She smiled a little, legs lazily kicking in the water, even a few weeks ago he would have gotten frustrated and left. It was always worth the wait for her. "I never knew I wanted anything. I never thought about it. Never asked. And you.” He swallowed. "You tell me I'm allowed to want things, to ask for things. And I don't, I don't know how to do that." The flush had traveled down from his ears.

"Tell me what you want, Muriel. I will listen." He took a long shuddering breath, staring at the water like it had the answers of life. She turned drawing one leg out the water to balance on the edge facing him before slowly reaching out to his cheek, turning his face toward her. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Whatever you want, you can ask." She ran her thumb along his cheek, smiling softly. "The worst I’ll do is say no, and that is a very short list of things when it comes to you." 

He nodded again, shaking slightly as he took deep breaths. "Okay." He didn't speak for a moment but then it all came tumbling out. "I want to spend time with you, I want to be close, I want. I want to know you are safe. I want to be there, I want to protect you. I want." His head hung; his cheeks bright. "I want you to protect me." 

She was luminescent, glowing like a fallen star. "I want that too, Muriel." She said softly.

"I know it's a lot to ask," he noticed her staring, her smile soft and eyes warm, she looked happy and he didn't realize she had spoken. "What?" 

Her smile widened as she leaned forward to press a kiss against the corner of his mouth. "That's what I want too. All of it." 

"I. Oh." He blinked a few times, eyes wide and looking like he couldn't believe his luck. He smiled a little. "You can have them." 

"So can you." She leaned forward again, forgetting the one side was open air when she went to put her hand down and plunked into the tub. She came up spluttering and laughing. She pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Come on, before the water gets cold."

"I'm used to cold baths." 

"You are in for an experience then, the baths here are divine." She grinned up at him, lip caught between her teeth and tugged on his robe. She twirled in the water, watching how the semi sheer fabric swirled around her before she settled on the bench and sank into the water with a pleased noise. Only her eyes and nose were out, and she made faces until he laughed a little. She relaxed, settling comfortably with her eyes closed, feeling every mile ease from her bones.

Muriel sank into the warm water, making a low pleased noise that she wanted to hear again. He sank into his chin beside her. "I fit." 

She leaned over running her hand through his hair with a laugh. "I would have been surprised if you didn't." His eyes drifted closed, relaxing more with each pass of her hand through his hair. She eyed the bottles along the shelf, using one hand to pop them open seeing how they smelled. 

One made her nose scrunch and eyes water. But she picked up another and Muriel's eyes opened. "I like that one." He watched her, carefully taking the bottle from her. Cedar and rain filled the air and she decided there couldn't be one that reminded her more of him.

"Here." She slid behind him and took back the bottle, lathering up his hair. She lightly scratched as she went, fingers rubbing as he melted into her hands and relaxed against her. 

"I never thought things could be easy. But with you, it's easier." She smiled, dropping a bubble of foam on to his nose. He huffed sitting up to rinse out his hair, giving it a good shake. She watched the water drip down his arms and back, thoughts going hazy. He settled next to her again, enjoying the water. 

Rhena didn't know how she was going to get all the dirt out of her hair. She had brushed it repeatedly on the road and it helped but as she worked her fingers through the thick tangles, she wondered why she didn't just chop the rest off and spare herself the trouble. The other problem was she kept snagging it on the bathing robe, the beautiful embroidery and gauzy fabric were magnets for hair. Bathing robes were a Vesuvian tradition she did not understand, and she would have forgone if she had been alone. _Wearing clothes in water is a crime._

She huffed, flushing a little when she realized Muriel was staring softly at her from the corner of her eye, thinking he wasn't seen doing so. The little smile he had made her warm all over. "I'm going to turn around so I can wash all this." She gave her hair a half tug.

"Why?" He asked curiously. She had just washed his, he wondered if maybe she knew he had been staring, the tips of his ears turning a little pink.

“Well. Um.” Her cheeks pinked even more, figuring he was going to bolt for the door as soon as she spoke. "It keeps snagging on the robe. So I’m going to take it off. A bit." 

He turned several shades of red before he half spluttered. "Do you want me to go?"

She gave him a smile. "Only if you want to, but no, I don't mind if you stay. I." She huffed looking down at the water again. "I want you to stay. If you want."

He nodded, slowing hard. She turned, the fabric dropping from around her shoulders. His gaze followed the fabric down, cheeks burning but entranced all the same by how she moved. She checked a few of the glass bottles and found a detangler. _Bless you, Nadia._

They were content enjoying the water in silence as she detangled and washed her hair section by section. She did the back last, an involuntary hiss leaving her when the few still healing wounds pulled on her arms and back. 

"Your back." His voice was soft with worry. She nodded, feeling self-conscious and missing her longer hair. She knew from feeling them as they healed slowly that they were jagged and gnarled and traced over most of her back. Almost reaching the scars on her neck. 

"When we." She shrugged. "I did what I could."

She flinched again, the pain bringing up too many memories old and new, too many nightmares she felt in her chest. "And your arms still hurt." 

She laughed self consciously. "I did a terrible job of it."

"...would you like some help?" 

Rhena’s fingers froze. "If you want to, I won’t say no."

She was answered by the movement of water. She swore she could feel the heat of him at her back. "Which one?" He murmured, hand sliding up her back, his thumb gentle along one of the still forming scars. She handed him the little purple bottle. 

Rhena hadn't been expecting how good his hands felt in her hair. His deft fingers gently rubbed away any tension he found, managing to be even gentler with the scars. He even rubbed his thumbs gently right behind her ears. Rhena eyes were closed, wondering if this was what paradise was. 

"Done." He said softly. He always marveled at how much she trusted him, like it never crossed her mind what could happen. His thoughts stopped as she bent to rinse her hair and when she came back up, she half turned to him, hair clinging to her bare chest.

She smiled a little sheepishly. "Thank you." He nodded but didn't move away from her. She reached out but stopped just shy of his chest. "May I?" He nodded. She turned completely and pressed herself to his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist. 

His arms slowly went around her, struggling with the feelings rushing through his head. But she just snuggled closer with a sigh of contentment. "Thank you." He felt her smile a little. "For everything." 

"I just. You did the same for me." 

Her laugh was soft and a little breathless, her cheek warm against his chest. "For everything, Muriel." She brushed a soft kiss over his heart. "For making me feel safe. And wanted." She hummed a moment, his body tense in her arms. "For trusting me." His arms tightened around her, kissing her forehead before he settled his head against hers. She brushed a kiss against his neck and felt him tense back up. "Sorry." She whispered and she tried to pull away a little.

His arms stayed tight around her, keeping them together, wet skin sliding as he shook his head. "It. It was fine." His pulse had picked up beneath her cheek. His hand trailed down her spine, fingers gentle where the bones had hurt her, over and over.

"We should probably get out.' She said ruefully.

"Water’s still hot."

"Mhm." She turned her head to look at him, her eyes near glowing with happiness. She brushed a kiss against his cheek. "I don't need convincing." He settled his forehead against hers as she softly started to hum.


	34. Chapter 34

Rhena found their way back to their rooms with her eyes half closed and brain barely working. "Rhena?"

"Mmhm?"

"I." He flustered a little. "Can I stay with you tonight? I know we have our own rooms, we’re not camping anymore." He caught himself, embarrassed. "Never mind, I shouldn't have asked."

Rhena grabbed his hand before he could run away and he stopped in his tracks looking at her. "I was going to ask you the same. Please? If you want." He nodded and let her pull him into the room. Getting ready for bed was easy, with their practice on the road. Rhena was grateful to forgo wearing pants to bed, all too happy to let the soft green tunic slide over her head. She eyed the thick envelope on the desk, her name in a neat script. She shook her head. She was too tired tonight and settled to working the brush through her hair that had managed to snarl itself together already in places.

He sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders sagging and exhausted. "We made it."

"And not alone."

"No, not alone." His eyes closed and he hung his head. "How many more? Is it smart to be here?" She didn't know what to say, Lucio's voice in her head agreeing with him. She gave herself a shake when Muriel spoke again. "I know, I know it wasn't my fault. Lucio would have gone after Morga no matter what. And Khamgalai...maybe she'd be alive, or maybe he would have came there and taken her heart anyway. Just how many more?" His voice was so tired, with loss and hurt.

She set the brush down, a little firmer than she meant. "No one. No one else."

"How can you know that?"

She smiled softly as she turned to him. "I believe in us."

"How can you? After everything? Our failures, how can you still believe?"

Her smile faded. It had haunted her the entire way back to Vesuvia. But every time she looked at him she knew. "Because we haven't and won’t give up. I, I have to believe it because if we don't stop Lucio, what would we do? Where would be safe? How many would he hurt? Would he ever stop?"

"No." He replied quietly. "He won't ever stop."

She took his hands and stared into his eyes. "Whatever it takes, we will stop him. I swear."

"Only if you swear to survive too."

"I have the very best reason to.” He nodded, leaning forward to press his forehead to hers. “We will survive this, Muriel, together."

"I believe you. I don't really know why."

She brushed a soft kiss against his lips. "I am adorable and very persuasive."

He laughed softly. "You are."

She sighed contentedly as he wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on her shoulder, her fingers running through his hair. "Do you want the outside edge or wall?" She murmured. "Because if I keep standing here I will fall asleep on you."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

She laughed softly. "And not for the first time." He laid back in the bed, taking her with him and smiling when she squeaked.

"Better?"

"Mhmmm." She snuggled up to his side, tracing her fingers across his chest. "This is much better than the ground." A huff of laughter left him

He felt her freeze. "What?"

She raised up on her elbow, lip caught between her teeth looking like she was debating something. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, quick and light. She pulled away, cheeks blazing red and not looking at him. "I wanted a kiss goodnight."

His hand came up to cup her cheek, thumb tracing down her chin. "You missed."

She smiled softly at that. "I guess I’ll try again then."


	35. Chapter 35

Rhena’s eyes fluttered open in the early morning light as she stretched languidly, trying not to wake him, and failing. "Morning." His eyes were still heavy with sleep, staring at her in a way that made her heart race and her body warm.

"Good morning." She answered softly. His arm tightened around her, pulling her closer so he could settle his head against her neck. She slowly ran her fingers through his hair. "Did you sleep?" He nodded, mumbling something, lips grazing her skin. "Do you need more?" She asked with a breathy laugh.

"Not if you're awake." 

She laughed again, deep in her throat and husky. "I'm not sure I want to be up yet." 

"Then don’t." He huffed, his thumb gently rubbing circles on her hip. 

"Mmhm." She relaxed against him as his lips grazed her neck. There was no shyness this morning. She was only too happy to bask in it, humming happily. 

They half drifted off back to sleep until the sun could no longer be ignored. She sat up stretching, his hand falling into her lap. He flushed a little before pulling it back towards himself and half hid in the blanket. Rhena's smile was fond even as she remembered. "Oh, the letter!" She swung her leg over his to get off the bed but stilled for a moment to grin down at him, making his ears turn pink.

She picked it up, the handwriting looking more familiar in the morning light. She slid her finger along the seal and pulled out a stack of paper, her brows furrowed in confusion before her mouth dropped open. "Rhena?" He sat up his voice deep with concern.

She was still staring at the page as she settled on the edge of the bed and pulling up her legs to sit cross legged. When a hand went to her mouth and tears started to fall, Muriel started to panic. "Its." She took a deep breath and turned to him, a radiant smile on her lips and her eyes glowing. "It's from Anassa." She shook her head bewildered. "She. I." He opened his arms and she settled against him with her back to his chest, the even rise and fall of his breathing calming her. He settled his head against hers. 

_Our Dearest Rhena,_

_I wish this letter did not begin with sad news after all these long years. Isla, the Huntress, Nana, has passed. Right before she instructed me to open a trunk, one she had fiercely kept everyone away from these past few years. Inside was every letter you had sent. We heard plague had swept through Vesuvia and feared the worst when we stopped hearing from you. Hope was hard to find. Your last letter said you were apprenticing under a doctor, trying to help find the cure with your magic and science combined. Nothing, all these long years, only to find out she had been hiding them. She pulled a letter from the very bottom saying it was the first, in handwriting I didn't know. It was signed by Asra, who I came to know better in your letters. He told your Nana that something had happened, your memories gone and that any mention caused you pain that lasted for days. Not long after according to the dates she’d written in the corner, your first letter came. You didn't know two of your sisters had married, that Baba had broken his leg. Those years were gone from that moment back until your second arrival to Vesuvia. When I asked her why, she told me that the Moon casts long illusions as she sees fit and she did what she could to keep you. The Sun would guide you now. I hope you understand that more than I do. I spent the last few hours of her life reading your letters with her. Your sisters and Rhys have written letters to you ever since you left, I do not know if the hearts of children know better than the hearts of elders, but we kept them. Even if one day it was to burn them at your farewell ceremony. We will mourn but our hearts are less broken knowing you are alive, and I hope this letter finds you well. We feel dark tidings in the air when the wind blows from the east, from Vesuvia. If you have need, know we will always come to bring you home._

_Know we love you until the stars fall and ever after._

_Anassa_

"They didn't forget." She sniffed with a little laugh, flipping the rest like book pages in her hand, a small letter falling out that was alongside a drawing. She stared at her own face, 16 and bright eyed having returned home. The only colors used in the black and white sketch was the green of her eyes and the bold strokes of rusty red on her face. "When I came of age." She half murmured to herself. She turned it reading the signature. "Rhys, he was 6 the last time I saw him, when I got my paint." She took a deep breath and wiped away a tear. It felt wonderful. It didn't feel real. She set down the stack, her fingers tangled with his for a moment. "I’m glad you’re here." She said softly. He brushed a kiss against her hair as she picked up the smaller envelope, immediately recognizing it as her father's handwriting. 

_Rhena,_

_If you don't come home by the time you get this letter, I will bring the warriors, Zoe, and Zara, who are the most gifted in battle magic I have had the pleasure to train, to Vesuvia and we will raze the city until we find you. Your Anassa has protested such actions, so I will await your reply before readying a ship. We have missed you, Fengaráki. Come home._

_Until the stars fall and ever after._

_~~Anax~~ _

_Baba_

She snorted. "Would he?" Muriel asked quietly.

She was quiet for a moment. "He's very protective of all of us. His village, it was closer to us then Star Lakes and it was burned, most of them died before they arrived. Before even the Clans could get there." She was quiet for a long time, fingers fidgeting with the letters. "There are people to the west, mostly they fight amongst themselves but." She shrugged. "It's why we all learned a weapon. I was the only child with magic then. Zoe and Zara’s must have arrived after I left again. Baba is the leader of the battle mages and taught me what he could. He works with fire." She turned to look at him with a sheepish grin. "I'm still afraid of fire." She shook her head. "And I have no idea why, we were always perfectly safe from it by the time I was born."

"What's Fengaráki?" The word only caught slightly on his tongue.

She folded it closed and tossed it across the bed. "What's what?" His fingers grazed her sides and she tensed with a squeak. He did it again. She bolted upright and halfway down the bed, cheeks blazing. He watched her with a playful half smile on his face. She spluttered not getting a word out before he had her pinned to the bed. He grazed his fingers across the spot again and watched her face get redder, smile tight lipped and trying not to laugh. He moved his fingers a little faster and she threw her head back shaking before her laughter spilled from her. She wiggled so much she got a hand free, laughing as she halfheartedly tried to push him. He kept at it, fingers finding other spots, pinning her hands again. 

"Not fair!" She panted out between hysterical peals of laughter. "I give!" He stopped a smile on his face as he stared down at her. She was breathing hard, eyes shining and face aching from smiling, as little laughs still fell from her lips. "I am going to get you back." She promised. He laughed softly at her threat. "It means little moon." She added, still breathless.

"Little moon?" His brow raising. 

"Mhm." A huff of laughter left her again, her grin wide. "I did give. Winner takes all." 

He made a low noise, his thumb tracing her cheek then across her lips and down her chin. Her breath caught, eyes darkening and staring at his lips before dragging them up to his eyes. "May I?" She nodded. His thumb traced along her jaw, hand cupping her head. Their lips were soft against each other, slow and languid with a hint of more warming along her spine.

Someone knocked loudly on the door. Her head fell back on the bed as she scowled at the ceiling. "I better _really_ like who's on the other side of that door." 

A self-conscious laugh left him, his face and chest flushed as he moved away from her. She took a long, tired breath at the second knock. "If we are quiet maybe they will leave." A third knock rattled the door and she got up with a huff. "I’m coming!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fengaráki comes from a translation I found of Το Φεγγαράκι (To Fengaráki) a song by Aliki Vougiouklaki. She was a Greek actress on the stage and in cinema. The song is available on Spotify under the title To Feggaraki along with several other versions. It has super cute lyrics, unless of course the translation I found was wrong lol


	36. Chapter 36

"Special delivery, hot off the, well, I just picked it up from the tailor." Portia was holding two parcels, balanced precariously on top of each other and obscuring her from view. "Can I come in? These things are heavy." Rhena stepped aside and caught sight of Muriel, red faced as he grabbed all the blankets to hide behind.

Portia didn't say a word, just dropped them on the bed by him. "So! You two have great timing, you know. The masquerade starts tonight." 

"Tonight?" They said at the same time. 

Portia winked. "Like I said, great timing. Of course, milady considered canceling it, but the city would riot. And we have to make it look like nothing's wrong. Which means." She grinned triumphantly. "I got your costumes right here!"

"But?" Rhena's brain stumbled. "We didn't?"

Portia stared at her in horror. "You don't think we'd send you out in your traveling clothes? Milady had these custom tailored." She grinned. "Now you two get ready. Get some food, explore the palace. Take it easy. Milady wants you two bright eyed and bushy tailed for tonight. She's informed me to fetch you around 9 for a briefing. Until then," She gave Rhena a knowing wink. "The sky’s the limit!" She swept out the room leaving them with the packages but stuck her head back in before the door shut. "Oh! Asra sent you some things too, Rhena. I stuck them in yours." She disappeared, pulling the door shut behind her. 

Muriel stood, inspecting the packages. Rhena ran her fingers across the one with her name and opened it. It was the most beautiful fabric she had ever seen. Beside her, Muriel opened his with a sharp breath. "Well. These don't wear themselves. I don't think." She laughed lightly running her fingers across the dress. 

Muriel let out a deep sigh and headed towards the door. "I'll meet you in the hall. When we're done." 

She spied the bag Asra sent and knew exactly what it was. "I may be a long minute." He nodded once and disappeared, tips of his ears still burning. Rhena laughed softly and pulled the dress out completely with a soft gasp. "Nadia, you outdid yourself." The sleeveless dress started in dark teal at the shoulders, trailing down into a split aqua overskirt, the under skirt the same deep teal. Peacock feathers lined the overskirts gilt edges, fluttering gently as she twirled holding it to her. She set it down reluctantly and opened the bag, eyeing the beautiful gold heels beside it.

Asra had sent her what little makeup she used, her favorite fancy ones. An almost golden lipstick she had found the year before that never smudged, her black eyeliner and mascara. “Everything a girl needs to feel fancy.” Underneath it was a carefully arranged pile of jewelry sitting under a golden mask inset with blue and purple gems, a couple of Sweet Peas feathers on one side. It thrummed with a familiar magic. "Oh, Asra, you are going to put me out of business." 

She shook her head, remembering this wasn't a day to dream and grabbed the makeup before tilting the floor length mirror. It didn't take her long to do with practiced fingers, and was sliding the dress over her head in no time. It fit like a second skin. The v-neck was a bit more then she was used to, but it looked good. “Worth getting used to.” She said softly, twirling in front of the mirror. She settled into adding the jewelry, not using all of what Asra had sent but appreciating he knew her so well. A gold belt sat high on her waist, trailing chains of gold looping around to the back, a gold and emerald peacock feather hitting right at the top of the split. It had a hidden compartment and she debated putting anything in it before grabbing the tarot deck and unceremoniously shutting it in. She only pulled back some of her hair, a quick spell setting it into soft curls, few trailing down and framing her face. She picked simpler earrings, gold and dark teal with a small green gem at the stud. She ran her fingers against Muriel's charm and with a reluctant sigh slipped it from around her neck, tucking into the safety of her bag with the letters. She worried for a moment about covering the scars that were near glowing along her skin, eyeing the bracelets and bangles in her bag. She let them lay and shook the skirt out gently. She admired herself in the mirror, frowning a moment before reaching back into the bag, pulling a simple gold necklace. She tried to latch it several times and gave up with a huff. "I’ll ask Muriel." She slipped into the heels and grabbed her mask. When she stepped into the hall, she was surprised Muriel wasn’t out already. She waited quietly, humming and twirling. She had worried about the heels, but they fit her perfectly and she felt perfectly steady on them as the skirt billowed gently around her.

The door creaked open and light spilled into the hall as Muriel very tentatively stepped out the door. Rhena froze mid twirl, skirts still swishing, her breath catching and openly stared. It was the most color she had seen him in, and it fit him perfectly. She was going to thank Nadia repeatedly. He coughed pulling her from her open-mouthed stare. He tugged at the collar, looking embarrassed. "It's okay. I guess." He shook his head. "But does it have to be so form fitting? And frilly and this thing." He grabbed the sheer cape and waved it a bit, while she sang the praises of the tailor in her head, the shirt perfectly clinging to every muscle he had when he moved. "Seems like a good way to get trapped to me." He glanced at her and started to get a little panicked. "What? Why are you staring?"

"Because you're gorgeous." The words tumbled out of her mouth. 

He spluttered, managing to turn even redder, even his chest, the small bit the shirt showed. "Whatever. I miss my cloak; this thing is so colorful." He managed to sound so put out by that fact.

She smiled and stepped forward to adjust his sash. "You look amazing, Muriel." 

"Stop saying that." He looked for somewhere to hide but gave up. "You look really nice too." He barely looked at her. "What I mean is um. That's a nice..." He shook his head the next words fast. "Are you hungry? We should go. We have time until we meet with Nadia, I mean." 

She laughed. "Yes, I am starving but I need your help with this." She held up the necklace. He looked at it and back at her. She shrugged "It kept getting stuck in my hair." He huffed and she turned around, pulling her hair up. His fingers smoothed across her skin and scars as he latched it. She turned back to him and smiled softly. "Thank you." He flushed again. "Come on, let's find the food."


	37. Chapter 37

"Oooh, you two make the cutest couple!" Portia cooed as she directed the moving of a giant ice swan.

"W-what?"

Rhena bit her lip to keep from laughing as he spluttered but Portia did with a wave of her hand. "Sooo cute. I'll let milady know they fit."

"If you see her before I do, hug her for me." Rhena twirled, gold heels flashing. "I have never worn anything so pretty." Portia nodded, her cheeks a little rosy but waved when they disappeared down the hall. Others stopped and stared but Rhena ignored them and was quietly grateful when none of them tried to speak to them. She wasn't sure Muriel wouldn't have evaporated into thin air. They got to the door of the kitchen where she grinned, arms spreading as she twirled again. "Tada!"

They both turned when someone called their names. Asra was tucked into a corner with tea and a book, eyes lighting up at seeing them. A blue haired woman sat across from him, a smirk on her face as she watched them. Asra hopped to his feet, a hand on each of their shoulders and wide eyed. "How are you feeling? Are you both alright?"

Rhena looked at Muriel a moment and smiled. "We’re fine."

"No one would fault you if you weren't, Rhena." 

"I know." Her smile stayed. "But we made it. And we are here and still alive." _There's hope._

"Rhena is right." Muriel finally spoke.

Asra smiled fondly at him. "Muriel, you've grown." 

"Whatever. No, I haven't."

"You have. It's really good to see."

The blue haired woman leaned forward. "Oh my, so inspiring."

"Oh!" Asra stepped aside a bit. "Muriel, Rhena, I’d like to introduce you to Natiqa. She's one of Nadia's sisters." 

She stood and bowed, her long braid sweeping the floor. When she straightened her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Older sister, little Dia is the baby of the family you know." She smiled, looking like she was plotting. 

Asra laughed. "Don't let her hear you say that."

"Half the fun is watching her make that face whenever I say it. You know the one." She mimicked it perfectly, which set Rhena chuckling. "But I've heard a lot about you two, Dia's warriors, out on a mission to save the world." 

"We’re not." Muriel spoke while Rhena rubbed the back of her neck. "That's not."

"Hmm." She stared at him. "Big, handsome, and endearingly shy. Yes, you are just as imagined, Muriel.” Rhena coughed failing to stifle a laugh as his face twisted, looking adorably embarrassed. "And you!" She continued, turning to Rhena. She wasn't entirely sure she liked being the center of the woman's attention. She reminded her of her own sisters when they were up to no good. "The mysterious Rhena. Always shows up conveniently to save the day. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were secretly the villain of this whole thing. What a twist that would be."

"I always wondered how I'd look in all black." Rhena informed her, eyes twinkling and smile easy.

"That's the spirit! You've got to look the part if you're going to kill us all!" She sighed delicately. "I refuse to be murdered by someone in poor fashion." 

"Rhena isn't evil, she's just..." Muriel spoke up. "A good person." 

“I want to be evil for five minutes.” Rhena mock whined with a grin. "Long enough to get the icing off a cake." 

“Oh, that's adorable.” Natiqa laughed. “You two are adorable." She batted her eyelashes. "I ship it." 

Asea watched with amusement before turning to Muriel and Rhena. Muriel was looking at the wall behind him and Rhena was trying not to laugh, shaking so hard her jewelry twinkled. "I better get back to work. Lots of ancient tomes to peruse, you know how it is." He grabbed his book and balanced the tea on it. "I'll see you two tonight. We'll figure things out." He patted Muriel's shoulder and winked at Rhena once he was out of Muriel's line of sight. Rhena shook her head smiling.

"You know." Natiqa said conspiratorially. "I only just arrived a day ago, but this place is a bit boring, isn't it?” Rhena raised her brows at that. 

"What do you mean?" Muriel asked.

"Well, everyone is so serious all the time. Can't be healthy can it? I swear Dia's eyebrows are stuck furrowed like that." Muriel's did the exact movement and she laughed. "Yes, like that! Aren’t you all tired of being so dour all the time? So much drama." 

Muriel nodded thoughtfully to Rhena's surprise. "I didn't used to think so but." He looked at Rhena, cheeks flushing. "I know better now." 

Natiqa chuckled. "If she told you anything about the parties in the Clouded Mountains, I would think so." Rhena grinned, Vesuvia had nothing on them. "I think everyone could use a little levity, including you, big guy." 

"What do you have in mind?" Muriel asked. Rhena was already plotting some ideas if Natiqa didn't have any, many involving Consul Valerius in particular.

"You'll just have to see, won't you?" She said with a shrug. "What do you two say? Up for a little fun?"

"I will if Rhena will." 

"Oh, I am not missing this." She laughed. Natiqa was right, a little mayhem always spiced up a party. Muriel looked a little dubious but didn't making a move to escape either.

"Just as long as we don't set anything on fire."

"Don't worry, Muriel. Navra's the pyromaniac, not me."

"That's not reassuring." Rhena patted his arm.

"It isn't, is it?" She winked and took their hands dragging them from the kitchen. "So, Muriel, what do you do for fun?"

"I." He looked at Rhena and she shook her head with a smile. "I like chickens."

Natiqa stopped mouth hanging open as she processed that. Rhena could have sworn she saw the gears turning in her brain. "Chickens. Like taking care of them? Holding them?

"Yes."

"I can work with that. In fact, it gives me an idea." 

She led them to the veranda, which was splendidly decorated for the occasion. Soft twirling streamers, flowers, and enough seating to rest half the city it seemed. "So. I have it on very good authority that every day around this time a certain dramatic doctor takes a stroll in the garden." 

"Julian?" Muriel asked as Rhena's grin widened.

"That's the one.” Her smile turned sly. “Isn't he just begging to be pranked? Just a little?"

Muriel's lips twitched up. "He'd be my first choice." 

"Exactly!" She turned to Rhena, eyes sparkling with mischief. "So, Rhena, I will need you to make me a giant chicken."

"You should have said so sooner." 

"Well, you know a girl can't just come out and say that. It's embarrassing. "

Rhena chuckled, palms rubbing together. "Do you want to be the chicken or have an illusion we can control?" Illusions were child’s play, literally, she had enjoyed terrorizing her clan with them as soon as she learned how to form them.

"This is stupid." Muriel muttered, trying desperately to hide a smile, and was not remarkably unsuccessful.

"An illusion would be brilliant. Clearly I chose the perfect people as my partners in crime." She nodded sagely.

Rhena closed her eyes, imagining the chicken. "How big do we want this chicken?"

"A man." Natiqa said with surety.

A man-sized chicken, she pulled and twisted the magic in her mind until she could feel the feathers and hear the horrible clucking from its monstrous beak.

"Oh." Muriel said. Rhena opened her eyes staring up at a chicken almost as tall as Muriel. He reached out to pet it, almost disappointed when his fingers passed through it.

Rhena clapped with a giddy laugh. "I love it and I am keeping it forever." He snorted at that. 

"You are the most powerful magician of our age, Rhena." Natiqa jumped at a sound. "Oh, he's coming, quick, hide it in the maze." She grabbed them, pulled them behind the bannister as Rhena sent the chicken into the maze. She heard Julian below them, talking to himself about how nice the night was. Rhena put a finger to her lips and Natiqa winked.

The giant chicken illusion clucked. Julian stopped mid step and Natiqa put a hand over her mouth to stop a laugh, nudging Muriel. "Your turn."

Muriel looked at her a moment before clearing his throat and letting out a perfect booming cluck.

"Who’s there? I warn you; I know the ancient art of bar brawling." 

Holding her side as she tried to stifle her laughter, Rhena sent a breeze through the leaves behind him. Julian spun around, wide eyed. She slowly brought the chicken out of the maze, Natiqa clucking again. "I. Uh. That's a large bird." Rhena had it step toward him, and he backed up several steps, hands in front of him trying to placate it. "Whoa there, birdie. Who’s a good little chicken?" Muriel let out another good squawk just has Julian turned to run. Rhena sent the chicken peeling after him and he disappeared around a corner. Just in time, she started laughing and the illusion dropped, the other two joining her.

"Did you see his face?" Natiqa cackled. "Did he try to reason with the chicken?"

"I think he did." Muriel said, trying to stifle his laughter some, shoulders shaking.

Rhena caught Natiqa's eye and she started laughing again, so hard she was choking. Eventually they got themselves under control. Natiqa slapped a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I certainly feel better. I’d better go start spreading rumors." She brushed off her pants and bowed. "See you around." She disappeared into the palace.

Muriel stood and offered his hand, pulled Rhena to her feet, still smiling. "She wasn't so bad." 

Rhena gasped, hand to her heart. "Muriel! Are you thinking of making a friend?" 

He huffed, cheeks a little flushed." No. Whatever. I- lets go." 

She laughed and brushed a kiss against his cheek. "I think I will wear these shoes all the time. That was much easier." He smiled as she pulled him into the garden, their hearts the lightest they had been in months.


	38. Chapter 38

Nadia was grim. “Julian has the right of it. We have no idea what his strength is now." She stared at Muriel and Rhena, a flicker of her earlier guilt passing. "If he was able to defeat the two of you and Morga." She trailed off.

She didn't realize she was staring mutely at the floor until Asra spoke. "We will play this carefully, Rhena."

She sighed, shoulders slumping. "I know." She half snarled, still staring at the floor. "Or he could just drop dead." She said in a barely audible whisper. Muriel bumped her shoulder and her face relaxed while they listened to Nadia's plan. 

"However." She looked at Muriel and Rhena. "We need boots on the ground as well."

"Us?" Muriel asked, while Rhena debated reminding Nadia about the heels sitting on the floor beside her.

She nodded. "With your ability to disappear, you make the best candidate to blend into the crowd. And Rhena can use her magic to sense anything strange as you go. We are looking for anyone or anything strange or suspicious." 

Muriel looked uncomfortable but slowly nodded. "As long as Rhena is there too." 

She reached over and squeezed his hand. "And with plenty of wine to throw at people."

Nadia sighed with a small smile and Rhena didn't bother to hide her pleased grin but when she met Muriel's eyes she sobered. "I'll be there."

He nodded. "Good."

Nadia smiled warmly at them all. "Thank you, my friends. Now, let us take our places, midnight approaches."


	39. Chapter 39

Muriel and Rhena hurried to the ballroom, her fingers laced with his. The bell tolled three times. "It's begun." He said softly. They turned down another hallway, the bell still booming towards midnight.

The hallway turned dark and Rhena slowed, her heart racing when she noticed a figure before them. She shook her head trying to disperse the phantom. The fireworks fired, illuminating them in red light as the clock struck midnight. A low, terrible groan left the ghost’s mouth. Muriel approached slowly, voice a little shaken as Rhena stared frozen. "Morga?"

The phantom flickered, blood dripping down her face. She turned to face them fully, no recognition in her eyes. "A crown? If I thought you deserved a crown." She laughed, neck cracking as her head flopped onto her shoulder.

"Rhena? What's happening?” His gaze flicked to her a moment when she appeared at his side. “Lucio wasn't like this." 

"Lucio wasn't really dead." Her voice was barely a whisper, horror filling every part of her. "Morga is."

The phantom straightened with a snarl. "Nine months I was sick with you, you were his son."

"I'm sorry." Muriel told her. Rhena thought she saw a flash of recognition when Morga looked at him.

"I wanted a lot of things. It's not about what I want anymore." 

"We can't leave her like this." His tone was pleading.

Rhena shook her head, mind reeling and a lump in her throat. She knew she couldn’t banish her; it was not a specialty of hers and she didn’t have the heart for it. Ghosts formed when they had unfinished business, and she thought she knew what Morga's was. "What do you want, Morga?"

"Want. He wanted." The phantom’s gaze snapped to Rhena. "He comes. The time approaches."

"So tell us how to stop him!” Muriel half pleaded. “That's what you wanted, right?" 

Morga stared at them, her eyes cleared like smoke clearing. "You ran." A smile appeared on her face and Rhena let out a sigh of relief. She saw them, not whatever nightmare she was trapped in. "You ran."

"We ran, you didn't." Muriel reminded her quietly.

She blinked, lifting her hand and then letting it drop. "His minions come, slithering in the darkness."

Something dark blew past Rhena, but she didn't see what. She felt its darkness brush against her mind, causing her to physically recoil away from its oil slick darkness but it faded like smoke. Morga turned to stare at the wall, her head shaking violently. "Here here here THEY'RE HERE!" 

A flash of fireworks lit up the hallway again, blinding Rhena for a moment. When it faded, the hallway was back to normal, empty. Muriel let out a strangled noise, his whole body shaking. Rhena reached out, feeling the intensity of the anger in his eyes in her chest. "After everything we have been through. All that fight. That's it? That's what she gets? Is that what we all get?" Before she could speak he continued, voice shaking. "I won't, that can't be the end."

"Then we won't let it." Her voice was far calmer than she felt.

He finally turned to her, his furious gaze softening immediately. "You're right. We won't." 

She huffed, already tired of the evening. "Ghosts. Demons. Necromancy. What's next? Doppelgangers? Ooh." She clapped. "Magical talking land sharks. Tiny bloodthirsty chickens." 

Muriel snorted. "I live in a hut in a haunted forest and you're a magician returned from the dead. This is typical." 

"I know." She sighed with a shake of her head. "But don't you wish we’d find something boring once? Just once. For the experience."

"Would be nice." With a soft smile he put a hand on her shoulder. "Should go tell Nadia." 

"Yeah." She huffed. "She'll agree, you know, and that's before we tell her that her former mother in law’s ghost is roaming the palace."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I am very much suffering from "oh no its almost done" brain. I am writing the final chapters currently and I am not ready. Thank you for reading so far! Also lol I am vaguely sorry for how long this is going to be. Only vaguely. We are about halfway posted after all. 💜


	40. Chapter 40

Muriel came to a halt at the ballroom, it was packed with people. Rhena reached out and took his hand, the other putting her mask on. He let out a shaky breath and put on his own. It was a bear’s face and simple, suiting him perfectly. "I like yours." She said softly. "Ready?" He nodded his head just slightly.

Nadia was easy to find, especially when Rhena realized the woman she was talking to had a turtle on her head. "Muriel, Rhena! Good to see you out and about. Allow me to introduce my sister, crown princess of Prakra, Nafizah."

"Oh, we have met. Or perhaps we have not yet but we will." Rhena tried very hard to not stare at the golden turtle. She wanted so badly to know how it stayed up there, and what its name was.

"Yes." Nadia said, sounding a little worn. "You are meeting right now, Nafizah. That's the point of introductions." 

"Is it?" Without another word she turned and breezed away.

Nadia rubbed her temples. "Have you had the chance to investigate yet?" Rhena filled her in and when she finished, Nadia looked ready to have one of her headaches. "Rhena. You said she mentioned minions, could they be our wayward courtiers?"

She nodded, thinking about the presence she had felt. "It could. But aren't they still missing?"

"And decidedly uninvited, if they are slinking about..."

"It's not a good sign." Muriel finished crossly.

"No, it's not. I'll keep my eye out but I can't abandon my post. But you two.” Her eyes narrowed a fraction. “See if you can ferret them out. If the courtiers are here, I want to know what they are doing."

"Being more gross and weird than usual."

Nadia smiled bemusedly at Rhena's disgusted face. "It's imperative we don’t panic the public. So do try to make it look like you're having fun."

"Do I not look like I'm having fun?" Muriel looked anything but like he was having fun.

"We’ll do our best." Rhena added brightly.

"I know you will. Thank you both for being so reliable." She started to say more but a noble approached. "Duty calls."

Muriel huffed, surveying the crowd as they moved away from Nadia. "So many people, it's hard to know where to start." He leaned closer wrapping an arm around her shoulders like he was afraid she’d get lost.

She leaned her head against him a moment. "Let’s ask the others if they've seen anything."

"If we have to, just stay close." She bumped into him with her hip with a grin before leading the way to Asra, her hand wrapped in his.

Asra perked up from his deep conversation with Nafizah. "Rhena, Muriel. Having any fun?" 

"...been better." 

Rhena watched around them while she listened. She let her magic spread out searching for any more of the darkness or something out of place. "I know. It's pretty crowded. but you're out here. You're doing great!" Asra looked so genuinely happy for him that Rhena smiled.

"How wonderful that fate should cross our paths again." Nafizah said. 

"We’re looking for the courtiers."

"Oh my. The courtiers? I have seen plenty of courtiers but none with such appellation." 

"They're here?" Asra asked, concerned with the threat of trouble.

"We don't know, it's complicated." Muriel said with disgust.

Asra shook his head with a scowl. "Should have known they'd crash the party. But I haven't seen them since they disappeared."

"Let us know if you do. Bye." Muriel walked away.

Nafizah spoke, her voice lilting. "Such a tumultuous air about him, like a ship caught in a storm."

Rhena stared at her a moment, not liking the metaphor at all. She jerked her head the way Muriel had gone. "I better go. Thank you both." 

"Stay safe." She gave Asra a thumbs up, her face full of worry.

Muriel was easy to follow through the crowd as he headed for the balcony, and she managed to escape the elderly man who kept called her beautiful lady in a tone suggesting he wanted someone to listen to his old war stories. She patted his hand with a promise to listen another time and directed him towards a woman she knew would love to listen.

The quiet dropped almost immediately the moment she left the ballroom door, crickets filling the night. She took a deep breath of the cool air. Muriel stood staring up at the moon, hand resting on the rail, his mask carefully set aside. She pulled off hers, giving her hair a shake and joined him. She leaned her back against the rail only half an eye on the ballroom, adjusting when the belt dug into her skin.

"You told me to stay close." She pointed out softly reaching out to his free hand with a light squeeze, making him jump a little.

"I know. Sorry." He relaxed, squeezing back.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Probably. Just imagining things." His eyes closed his head bending to listen to the quiet. All Rhena could hear were crickets and the music of the ballroom drifting softly out but it was still soothing. "It's too crowded in there. I needed air." 

"Do you want me to go back in and guard the door?" 

"What? No!" He glanced her way. "You can stay. I don’t mind your company." He huffed and looked away. 

"Then here I'll stay." She said softly.

"G-good." He never dropped her hand and they lapsed into comfortable silence.

The music changed, a waltz blowing out on the wind. Rhena's feet tapped softly along, watching as some people pair up. Muriel's eyes closed again listening. Her eyes left the ballroom, taking the moment to look at him. The moonlight made his suit shine but that wasn't what kept her eyes. They were fixed on his face, memorizing every detail like she needed it to breathe. Even with his mesmerizing eyes closed, he was the handsomest man she had ever seen. She barely registered the thought before she said it. "May I have this dance?"

"Okay." She could see his brain stop mid-way through his nod. "Wait what." She waited, watching his blush spread across his face, his ears and down his neck, a hint of it at the gap in his shirt. "I. I can't dance."

"I'll teach you." 

"Who says I want to learn?" She laughed lightly and took both of his hands in hers and stepped away from the railing. He didn't resist, his body following even as he furrowed his brows grumpily.

"It's a masquerade." Her smile was soft and warm as she gently teased. "Do you really not want to dance with me?

"I didn't. It's not that." He grumped further. "I’ll look stupid."

“Hardly.” She gently lifted his hand above her head, twirling beneath as he stood stock still and beet red. "It's just me." 

"Fine. But if you tell anyone about this." 

She shook her head with a smile. "Your secrets are safe with me, cross my heart." She reached out placing his hand on her shoulder and almost laughed, he was so adorably confused.

"Isn't your hand supposed to be on my shoulder?"

She caught her lip between her teeth as she grinned. "Only if you lead." He looked like he was going to burst. She wrapped her arm around his waist. He stepped forward with a little huff so she could reach, his cheeks still red.

"Now what?"

"We dance." She stepped forward and he reacted without thinking following her lead. He was tense and stiff but the look on his face warmed her heart as he concentrated. She took it slow, relaxing into the music and before long he did too, following her more easily. 

"I didn't know you could do this." He looked at her with a hint of wonder on his face, she danced but this wasn’t the same and she made the formal court dance look as natural as the times she had twirled laughing in the forest. 

She flushed looking away from him. "I learned this one first. From Asra, before I got my voice back." She told him softly. “I felt so trapped, and dancing helped.” She smiled then. “He went with me every day to the Raven you know, hovering like an old mother hen.” Muriel snorted at that. “I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

Anytime he stumbled, she caught him and brought him gently back into the music. "And now you know it too." She winked and dipped him. His arms tightened around her like vines, she lost her balance and they tumbled to the ground. They laid there for a moment before Muriel started to laugh. He slumped back against the floor, shoulders shaking as she fell against him giggling. "Perhaps I was a little ambitious." She said breathlessly, cheeks flushed and beaming.

"You think?" He grinned, wrapping his arms around her and she relaxed against him. The song came to an end and she stood shaking out her skirt. Muriel took her outstretched hand as he straightened, still smiling softly.

Rhena sighed, tossing a disappointed look to the ballroom. "We should get back. Those courtiers aren't going to find themselves." 

"That would require them being helpful." His face showed all the doubt he had that they were capable of such a thing. She turned to go in, but his hand stopped her, their fingers still tangled together. 

Rhena looked back at him, her head tilting a little, her smile still soft and her eyes full of a fond warmth. "Muriel?" He was quiet for a moment but then shook his head and they headed inside, snagging their masks as they went.

Before they crossed the doorstep he spoke. "Thanks, Rhena." She squeezed his hand and put her mask back on, he quickly followed suit as they waded back into the masquerade.


	41. Chapter 41

They left the ballroom and wandered until Rhena caught sight of a black wisp darting through a door. Muriel followed her into a jewel toned room decorated with stag horns. She scowled, by the fireplace was an all too familiar figure. Muriel felt her tug her hand from his, watched her fists clench at her sides as every line of her body turned rigid as they approached them.

"Ah, Rhena is it?" Valerius drawled, knowing exactly who she was, the awful witch. “What a... surprise to see you here.”

She smiled sweetly. "Feeling dry I hope?"

He ignored the jab. "Who's your...friend?" He managed to look down his nose, even though Muriel was much taller.

She bristled a bit but gave a wave between them. "Muriel, this is Consul Valerius. The last time we saw each other he threw wine on me and I dumped a carafe on his head." 

Valerius sputtered into his glass but quickly regained his composure. "An unfortunate accident, do forgive my clumsiness.” His nostrils flared. “You ruined my favorite shirt after all."

She let it go, she could and would argue with him later. "Have you seen your coworkers?"

"I'm the Consul. I don't have any coworkers." She fought the urge to roll her eyes as he smiled. "Except for our countess, of course. I hear she's in the ballroom."

Muriel spoke before Rhena had a chance to call the man every name she knew. "We meant your nasty friends. Valdemar. Volta. The slimy one. The loud one."

Valerius looked mortified. “I don't have any friends and certainly not those imbeciles."

"At least we agree on that." She huffed. "You don't know where they are?"

He took a long sip of wine, studying the fire. "I'm afraid not. Perhaps I was too blinded by their incompetence to notice. Besides, with them in absentia, we can finally have proper nobles run this city." Rhena scowled at him. "Now, would the two of you mind moving along? I tire of this interrogation." 

Rhena glanced at Muriel and he gave a sharp nod, his face matching hers. She smiled sweetly "It was good to see you again, Valerius, enjoy your wine." _I hope you choke on it._

As soon as they were out of ear shot Muriel huffed. "Nobles." She gave him an arched look. "They're all like that. They couldn't care less about actual problems. It's all petty drama and gossip. Sipping wine at the end of the world."

"It's not the end.' She softly before giving him a mischievous grin. "But I'll keep that in mind, just in case I start acting like them."

He flushed. "You're not."

She patted his arm. "I know, we didn’t even have wine in the Clouded Mountains. If you want a party, you don’t get fancy juice." Growing serious, she continued. "We won't let Lucio win."

Muriel snorted. "When you say it, I almost believe it."

"Then I'll keep saying it. Eventually it will stick.” Her eyes twinkled above her smile.

"Maybe eventually it will."

"Besides, we are supposed to be blending in and that means having fun.” She reminded him tartly, linking her arm through his. “Last I checked, it isn't illegal to have fun."

"Yes." He stifled a laugh, half turning away from her. "Come on, more places to look."


	42. Chapter 42

They checked the other rooms. Rhena regretfully did not find an excuse to go into the body painting one. "But it glows!" Muriel shook his head, a small smile appearing.

They saw nothing. No courtiers, no Morga, and all Rhena felt was a darkness along the edges of her magic, scuttling away each time she tried to focus on it.

They turned a corner and found a room with huge tables piled high with food. Soup, cakes, sandwiches, every kind of food Rhena could imagine were all done up to be absolutely beautiful. Muriel was speechless as they stepped into the room. "I've never seen this much food before." 

Rhena shook her head but swiped a strawberry from the table closest and offered it to him. "Do you like strawberries?"

"No idea."

She tried to keep the shock from her face, but her gaze shifted from him to the strawberry and back repeatedly before she squeaked. "Really?"

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I have just never thought about if I liked them. Food is food. It doesn't matter if I like it." 

She wanted to think it was the saddest thing he had told her, but it was hard to rank them and she wasn’t going to start now. She looked at the tables and then at him before smiling brightly. "Then let's find your favorites."

He stared at her like she grew a second head. "Isn't that kind of frivolous?"

'Well. I think that's maybe the point of masquerade.” She nodded confidently. “A free moment to be frivolous." 

He looked like he was going to argue but studied the room a moment. "I guess that's fair."

"And Nadia told us to blend in. Eating this food is practically our job." She said seriously, her nose twitched trying not to smile.

"That doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about having a job to argue.' His tone conveyed that he knew she was full of it, but it was still a win.

She grinned. "What do we want to try first?" 

Muriel made a thoughtful noise, surveying the tables. He wandered over to some berries, eyeing them like a suspicious _bear_ she laughed in her head as she popped the last of the strawberry into her mouth. She looped her arm through his. He blinked and offered her a berry. She shook her head smiling. "I know my favorites, and that is not one of them. It's your turn."

"Oh." He flushed. "I'm bad at this."

She patted his arm. "It won’t bite.' 

"It could." 

She huffed a little, picturing the small blue spheres with tiny teeth. "Blueberries do not bite. Promise.” He popped it into his mouth concentrating. "Well?"

"It's a blueberry, and it tastes like a blueberry."

"But do you like it?" Her head tilted to study him, one brow rising. 

"It's okay."

She grabbed a plate, carefully picking different fruits whether spiced, raw, or candied. She snagged a few candied lemons, popping one into her mouth before handing him the plate. He looked at it suspiciously but took a bite of cantaloupe and made a face, tongue sticking out. "That's awful."

She held a hand to her chest, wilting dramatically. "You are breaking my heart. I love cantaloupe." 

He snorted offering her the rest. "You can have it, it's too sweet for me.”

She happily finished it, watching him try the others. He favored sour, eating a slice of lemon straight, shortly followed by a second slice making Rhena’s brows raise. She loved lemons but that made her jaw ache. "Most of these are okay, this is the best one though." And he finished the lemon.

They moved on to other tables, trying various things. She almost laughed at the look on his face when he tried caviar. "It pops?" She nodded and he tried a second nibble. 

As they continued, she kept biting a question back from the tip of her tongue. He sighed, nibbling at a roll and watching her. "What?"

"What?" She asked innocently, finding the ground remarkably interesting. 

"You keep looking at me." 

"I." She let go the teasing response as she picked up a moon shaped roll, picking at it. "I was just wondering why you don't have favorites." The roll appeared to have lavender in it but smelled like lemon. She took a tentative bite and couldn’t decide if she liked it. 

He frowned and was quiet for a time, watching her fingers carefully shred the roll on to her plate. "For a long time, I thought my parents sent me away for being a burden. I've always been big." He sighed, scratching the back of his head, searching for the words. "I thought they couldn't afford to feed me. And that's why they sent me away."

"And now you know differently." She said softly, setting down her plate to cross her arms thoughtfully.

He nodded. “I know. Doesn't change what I thought. I don’t like eating." He looked down at the plate, brows furrowed. "But I like lemons. I think. And this pumpkin bread. And those weird little fish egg things." He was silent for a moment. "Is that okay?"

She wrapped her arms around him, plate forgotten on the table and ducking his as she tried to squeeze the point home. "Of course. You're allowed to enjoy things, Muriel." 

His arms went around her immediately, if awkwardly. "Doesn't feel like it. But I'll trust you.' He popped another lemon slice into his mouth over her head, not batting an eye at the sour taste.

Rhena laughed. "Should we plant some lemon trees at the hut for you?'

"Maybe." A little smile was on his face. "We should head out, still more rooms to search, right?" 

She stared wistfully at the candied lemons and nodded. "I wish I had pockets." She grabbed a few anyways as they headed out, offering him one. "You know. If we plant those trees, I will absolutely steal some." He huffed at that, making a face at how sweet it was at first.

The more rooms they searched, the more frustrated he became. With disgruntled chagrin they decided to head back to the ballroom and regroup. A voice came from behind them. "Ah Muriel, Rhena. We meet again." They turned to find Nafizah smiling at them, the little turtle perking up. Muriel tensed beside her, eyes widening. "Oh, I am sorry. Nadia has told me how these masquerades are supposed to work. I must feign anonymity. Very well. I shall see you two later, strangers. Or not." She floated away down the hall. 

Rhena stared after her utterly perplexed before realizing Muriel was still frozen. "Muriel? What's wrong?" Her voice colored with concern.

"She remembered my name."

Rhena considered a moment. "Maybe Nadia shared her charm?" That didn't sound like Nadia at all. An uneasiness settled along her spine.

"Maybe." He said slowly, her hand found his and he held it tight, knuckles going white.


	43. Chapter 43

They made it to the ballroom, and it was packed. He tried to get them through without touching anyone, but someone stepped backwards, knocking into them. Muriel's mask fell, disappearing into the crowd. He tried to find it but another someone stepped in front of him, their voice shrill as others flooded between Rhena and Muriel. "Excuse me, but aren't you the Scourge?"

"No." The word strangled out of Rhena's mouth, her heart falling into her stomach.

Muriel floundered but the person kept talking, oblivious and uncaring of the trouble they were causing. "Oh my, it is! It's the Scourge of the South, in the flesh!"

"No, I.' A ripple moved through the crowd, when it got to Nadia her red eyes found them and even her calm demeanor faltered.

"Who invited that murderer?"

"I thought he was dead!"

"I'm not." Rhena couldn’t get to him, the crowd pressed around so tightly she felt a flicker in her chest as another too warm body crushed against her, her elbow uselessly digging into their side.

"The Scourge in the flesh, it's such a pleasure to meet you."

Muriel tensed the crowd of faces staring back at him, she could feel his panic rolling like waves through her magic. He bolted.

"Muri!" Someone slammed into the side of her and she let her anger roll into her magic, the ground heaving and waving outward, sending guests every which way as she picked up her skirts and ran after him. She could barely keep him in her sights, blasting past rooms until he finally turned into one. She stepped into the room, blinking as she adjusted to the darkness and found herself staring at her reflection. She tossed her mask towards the corner, starting when the door swung shut behind her, blending into the wall seamlessly. She took a deep breath as she bent to rip the under skirt up each of her thighs. She would apologize later but she wasn’t taking a chance at not being able to use her hands just so she could move freely. 

The soft shining took on her own face as she stepped further into the room. "Hall of Mirrors. Lovely." She eyed the lanterns but left them calling a ball of gentle light to her as she entered the maze. It was silent, nothing except her endless reflection, hair falling around her face that was red cheeked and worried. "Muriel?" She called softly. For a long moment she listened to the silence, heart pounding before she finally heard a voice to her right.

"Over here." 

"Sorry, Nadia." She pressed her hand to the glass dissolving them into puddles and finally got to him, after having stopped at every reflection of him she saw. Finally, her hand touched him and not cold glass. He was curled in the corner, hands over his head blocking all sight. "Muriel, it's me."

He lifted his head to stare at her eyes red, body shaking. "Why are you here?"

It stung but she understood. "Where else would I be?"

"They remember! Everyone, they remembered what I did. They know who I am." His voice cracked anger filling his eyes. "The Scourge. I was so foolish. I almost forgot I was a monster."

She knelt in front of him, her voice gentle. "That doesn't change how I feel, Muriel."

"It should! The things I've done. It was stupid to think I could move on from them. People were supposed to forget." His breathing was hard and fast, shallow enough she worried he was going to pass out. "Everyone was supposed to forget me. But I can't." He slammed his fist into the mirror, the glass cracking like a spiderweb, blood starting to drip immediately from his knuckles. "I shouldn't have listened to you. I thought it would be ok. I thought.” He curled back in on himself, not seeing her flinch. "Thought I could escape my past with you. But I can't escape myself."

Rhena stared at the floor, hands clasped in her lap as her eyes burned. "Why do you want to?" She said quietly, taking a deep breath.

"What?"

"Why?" Her voice came out harsher than she meant and she softened it again, still and waiting. "Why do you want to escape yourself?"

He lifted his head, staring at her in disbelief and not speaking until she finally met his eyes. "You've seen me. You know what I've done.” He shook his head. “We've had this conversation."

“It's not who you are anymore. It's not.” She stuttered a moment. “That is not what I see when I look at you, it's not who you are.” Her fists clenched and unclenched. "You can’t punish yourself forever.”

"It's what I deserve." His voice was harsh. "Why is this so hard for you to understand?"

"Because I know you." Stubborn fire flashed through her eyes as she raised her chin. “And you are wrong.” 

He stopped, so shocked he didn't argue for a moment. When he spoke again, he was more confused than ever. "It doesn't feel wrong." 

"You've lived it so long, there is another side. There's more." Her voice caught in her throat and she reached out. He let her fingers settle against his cheeks, her gaze clear and bright. "I promise there is." 

"What about everyone I hurt?"

"You help them. You show them who you really are. The man I-.” Her heart skipped a beat at the words that had almost followed, setting them aside with a shake of her head. “The man that I know. I know you.” She half whispered, searching his face. 

"Fools." They both jumped, Morga staring them down. Rhena wondered how long she had been there, not being helpful. She scowled at the protest her knees made when she had twisted ready to throttle whoever had snuck up on them. "It is clearer now. It will not be long."

"Morga?" 

Morga’s gaze fixed on Muriel. "Time is running out, boy."

"Then tell us what to do!"

"Fight." She kneeled, reaching out to Muriel, hand hovering over his cheek. "Win." Her eyes closed, scowling briefly. "And stop the pity party."

Muriel let out a startled laugh, wiped away the stray tears from his cheeks. "How?" Rhena asked, as she settled back on her heels and ignored her heels poking her thighs. Morga vanished but a door opened beside them.

"Win. Easier said than done." He took a deep breath. "But she's right. I, I want to fight."

Rhena smoothed her fingers across his still bleeding knuckles with a surge of warmth, healing them clean with barely any effort. "Me too."


	44. Chapter 44

"Fear not, Vesuvia, your god has returned." Lucio announced.

Rhena stared over the chaos of the ballroom, heart pounding as she ducked past terrified party goers. Something older, wiser was also staring out of his eyes. "Fuck.” She half shoved a frozen guest towards the doors and out of her way.

His grin turned cruel as he found them in the crowd. "Now the party can truly begin." The ballroom fell silent and with every step down the stairs he took it grew hotter. Rhena felt herself choking, gasping for breath that burned. "What's the matter, goat got your tongue?" 

His grin widened as she struggled to breathe, but the silence was broken by Volta, who had crawled over Muriel's shoulder and was babbling wildly behind him. "Oh no oh no he is here. We have done it now, this thing that we have done."

Muriel glanced to the exit, weighing the options before he stepped in front of Rhena. She placed her hand gently on the small of his back for a moment, the other still at her throat as her body fought for each breath and her head began to swim. Nadia stepped up beside them, the picture of grace and composure. "Lucio. This is quite a surprise, considering you are supposed to be dead."

"Lucio." The thing said. "That's what they used to call me." His head tilted, grinning at Nadia. "But I'm so much more now, Noddy. Lucio was weak, me?" He threw out his hands addressing the crowds. "I've come to be your savior, Vesuvia! To free you from the yoke of misery and pain!" Rhena watched in horror as some in the crowd leaned forward, willing to listen.

"Oh, this should be good." Nadia managed to say it with such distaste that Rhena's cough turned into a little bit of a laugh, her chest finally freeing up. With another light touch to Muriel's back, she stepped out from behind him.

"Tell me, Vesuvia, what has your dear Countess done for you lately? Three years in absentia. Where was she while you suffered? Where was she while you wallowed in mud?" Rhena's mind became a litany of colorful panicked curses. He turned to Nadia, a grand sweeping gesture tossing his cape over his shoulder. "Well?"

Nadia’s fists clenched as she looked out at the crowd. "I am here now."

"That isn't much of an answer, Noddy.” He shook his head before addressing the crowd with a nasty little smile. “Could it be, Vesuvia, that your Countess has been hiding something from you?"

Muriel let out a low noise and stepped forward, eyes blazing. "Where were _you_?"

Lucio blinked. "Excuse me?"

Rhena's fists settled on her hips, placing herself between Muriel and Nadia, the three of them blocking Lucio from the rest of the ballroom. She was trying to figure out if she could bring down the ceiling or the floors up to block him without killing any of them, if she could hold that much while the others got the people out. _Only for so long as it'll take him to break it._ She grimaced. _Or me._

Muriel straightened, chin rising defiantly. "You keep talking about Nadia being gone but I didn't see you doing anything for Vesuvia either. If you weren't dead, where were you?"

“The Scourge found his voice, did he? That’s cute. Last time I saw you, you were crying, weren't you?" 

"Last time I saw you, you were murdering your own mother." Muriel pointed out.

Lucio shrugged. "Nobody’s perfect. Still." He spun out the word. "You’re right. I have been gone. It's not fair of me to malign Nadia. After all." His smile grew razor sharp. "She is my beloved wife!"

"I am no one’s wife." She said with clear disgust. "From what I recall, our vows were until death do we part."

"Do I look dead?"

"In about five minutes you will be." She promised with a narrow-eyed certainty.

He sighed, his smile falling as he shook his head. "Don't say that, Noddy, I'm extending an olive branch here."

"And I'm setting it on fire." Her tone was derisive. "You ran this city into the ground and now have the gall to blame me for inheriting the rubble. The mantle of office was passed to me. I have no intention of relinquishing it to a despot."

"Pity, I guess I’ll have to kill you." He laughed and the room began to shatter, Vulgora exploded into a swarm of red beetles, Vlastomil morphed into a slimy thing. Valdemar turned into something so horrifying Rhena's mind couldn’t begin to fathom what her eyes saw. As she turned, she saw a red chain form as it flew towards Nadia. Nadia couldn't back away, the panicking crowd leaving no room.

Rhena launched herself forward, trying to get to Nadia and throwing up a shield but it was Muriel who stepped into their path, and in front of Rhena’s shield. “Not this time.” Red hot chains wrapped around his arms, Rhena winced at the sound they made. "Countess, go!"

"And abandon you? Absolutely not!” Nadia squared her shoulders.

Rhena nodded to her. "We need to go!"

"EXACTLY!" Muriel half roared. "Go!"

Indignant anger gave Rhena more volume than she had planned "I SAID WE!" 

Lucio laughed, yanking the chain hard enough to bring Muriel to his knees. Another formed swinging towards them. "Rhena! Break it!' Asra yelled.

Rhena leapt forward, the chains on his arms crumbling under her hands. She turned as the other whipped towards them. She reached out, grabbed the end of it and yanked it out of Lucio’s hands hard enough he stumbled, it dissolved into dust. She settled on her feet before them, hands at the ready for more. "Who's the useless little magician now?" She hissed. Everyone stared in silence, even Lucio, for several shocked seconds. Muriel grabbed her, and tossed her over his shoulder, and sprinted for the exit. Volta gave her a little sheepish wave as Rhena let out an indignant shriek.

"Not so fast." Lucio roared. The doors slammed shut, chains wrapped like vines around them.

"Balcony!" Asra called out again, from somewhere she couldn’t see. With one hand bracing against Muriel's shoulder, Rhena could barely form the shields fast enough to make Lucio miss, but it was too many to hold for long, magic cracking in the air like lightning. His face contorted in rage as people continued to scream and run for cover. Every door to the balcony was slamming shut, chains twisted around them.

Except for the one being held open by a straining Julian. They broke through it and everyone went over the railing. Rhena watched it go past, the door slamming shut behind them, heart dropping into her stomach but before she could do anything they were floating gently, Asra's magic bringing everyone down slowly. He closed the hedges behind them, and she strengthened it up with the last of her magic, temporarily blocking any pursuit.

"Well, that was possibly the worst party I have ever thrown." Nadia scowled in disgust.

"Oh, I don't know." Offered Natiqa. "Remember that time Lord Doukou set his hair on fire?"

"Now’s really not the time for jokes." Muriel interrupted her, fingers tightening on Rhena's hip when he felt her wobble. "We need to keep moving."

"Yes." Nadia sighed. "but where do we go? Nowhere is safe."

Muriel let out a long sigh. "Damn it." 

Nadia looked at him quizzically while Asra nodded. "It could work you know, the protections we put up."

Julian’s head whipped so quickly between them Rhena wondered tiredly how his brain did not rattle. "Er am I missing something here?"

"My hut." He said through clenched teeth. Rhena patted his shoulder, she could only see part of his face but well. She knew. He snorted, looking up at her. "If it was just you... but all these people?" She just patted him again, and his arm tightened around her. "Fine. But it's temporary, alright?"

"It needn't be permanent, Muriel. But for now, we must go." Nadia glanced up at the palace and set her shoulders.

"I'll lead the way." He grumbled. 

Rhena waited until he was ahead of the others a bit before poking his arm that still pinned her to him. "You know, this might be easier if _you put me down_." 

He glanced up at her, considering a moment a thousand things running through his head before shaking his head. "No." 

"Ugh." She flopped back over his shoulder before continuing indignantly. "Like a sack of potatoes." She could have sworn she heard a snort and she decided to not kick her feet. Yet.


End file.
